A Vegas Story
by SolitaireXL
Summary: The Death March is over and the team has finally reached their desitination. Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, as the sign says. Hiruma x Mamori rated M for lemons.
1. The Room 'Uninvited'

**Title:** Part 1: The Room (Uninvited)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eyeshield 21

It felt good to finally take a nice hot shower after a couple weeks of freshening up in truck stop bathrooms. Mamori crossed over to her suitcase on the bed and took out a nice cotton tank and a pair of matching cotton panties to sleep in. She glanced over at Suzuna who was soundlessly sleeping on the other bed as she took off the towel wrapped around her damp hair, and shook it out gently. She decided it was best not to give her hair a quick blow dry, so as not to disturb Suzuna's sleep. Instead, she grabbed a comb and ran it through her tresses until she was satisfied that it was nice and neat. Then she quickly slipped on her underwear to get ready for bed.

As she rubbed her favorite lotion on her skin, she wondered if everyone was doing okay. She knew the 2000 kilometer trek had taken a lot out of them, and she hoped it would all be worth it once they arrived back in Japan. She looked over at the spare keys she had lined up on the dresser, and decided that it didn't hurt to check in on everyone. After all, she was the team manager.

She had asked for everyone to give her their spare key as they checked in, and had written each room number on each key just to keep track of them. Either everyone thought it was a good idea for her to keep a spare, or they were just too tired to protest in the end. She decided that doing one last bed check before settling down herself wasn't such a bad idea. So she put on her terry cloth bathrobe, and slid into her slippers before grabbing all the keys, and heading out the door.

It wasn't until she came to the last room, Hiruma's, that she paused for a moment and debated whether to turn back. Everyone, even Doburoku-sensei, had been tucked snuggly into their beds, peacefully asleep. She wondered if Hiruma was still up planning their next move, and if he would welcome the intrusion. She was a little bit restless herself, so she decided to open the door anyway and peep in.

Mamori couldn't help but to smile as she saw him splayed out across the bed sleeping while still clutching the gun he used to torment Monta and Yukimitsu throughout the Death March. He didn't even have enough strength to take off his shoes before he passed out, she thought to herself as she tip-toed over to the foot of the bed. She glanced down and saw Cerberus sleeping soundlessly over in the corner, and wondered if it was a good idea to take Hiruma's shoes off for him.

Not wanting to wake him, or possibly Cerberus, she decided instead to satisfy her curiosity and take a peek at his sleeping face. She crossed over to where his head had barely touched the pillow, and gazed upon a face so calm and serene, she felt as though she was staring at a noble elf, instead of what some believed to be the devil himself. Mamori decided to take the gun away from him to put it up somewhere. She didn't believe it was a good idea for him to be sleeping with such heavy artillery.

She reached down, and as soon as she touched the gun, in one swift reflexive movement, she found herself pinned beneath a groggy Hiruma.

"H-Hiruma-kun," she said breathlessly, her wrists pinned to the bed above her head as he hovered over her. Her robe fell open, their legs entwined as he loomed menacingly over her. He blinked sluggishly, not fully understanding what was going on himself.

"Fucking manager?" As his eyes adjusted in the darkness he recognized the terrified figure beneath him and let her wrists go. He moved from straddling her as she sat up gently rubbing her wrists.

"What were you doing," he said as he slid off the bed, and crossed over to the dresser where he laid the gun down.

"I came in to check on you. I thought I'd take the gun out of your hands while you were sleeping."

"Always the fucking mother hen." He smirked as he leaned casually against the dresser.

"I didn't realize it would elicit such a violent reaction from you," she switched to rubbing the other wrist.

"Did I hurt you?" his expression darkened a little as he looked at her sitting on the bed.

"It's okay,"

"No, it's not. Let me take a look," he knelt down in front of her as she sat on the bed, and took her wrists gently into his hands.

She smiled shyly as he turned her wrists over in his hands, scrutinizing them. "See, it's nothing. No bruises, no marks," she said as she pulled her hands away from his touch. He glanced up at her, their eyes locking for a split second until she looked down at her hands resting in her lap.

"You're right," he stood up from her and turned toward the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. Go back to your room and get some sleep,"

"Oh, yes. Right. Good night," she stood up abruptly. Maybe too abruptly, because all the blood rushed to her head and she started to feel dizzy. If only she could just steady herself for a minute. She reached out to grab on to something, but all she felt was thin air, and her legs wobbling beneath her.

She put her hands up in front of her, and just as she felt she was about to fall forward, her hands pressed against something hard and smooth. She found herself face to face with Hiruma's chest, and felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She tried her best to focus her attention on her hands, and not the chiseled peaks of his chest beneath his shirt.

Time seemed to freeze as she gathered her thoughts, and what seemed like an eternity it took to find her voice, was only a matter of seconds. His hands were on her shoulders steadying her, and the dizziness subsided to where she felt she could stand on her own.

"It's okay, really. I'm all right. I'm just a little tired, and I stood up way to fast," she half chuckled, as she tried her best to make her voice sound normal, when she felt anything but her normal self. Why did he have to smell so primal, so male? Why did he have to feel so strong, so safe? She mustered what self confidence she had left to glance up at his eyes to convince him she was really okay.

His lips came barreling down on hers. Whatever protest she was prepared to make died in her throat as she felt his hands slide down to her waist. Her hands had a mind of their own as they slid up his chest to clasp themselves together at the base of his neck. She felt herself leaning into him, and as the kiss deepened, her lips parted and their tongues meshed together.

They tumbled back on top of the bed, his hand swept underneath her shirt, and pressed against the soft flesh of her flat stomach. He trailed hungry kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. She felt her body arching toward his, and her hands found their way down his lean back to tug on his shirt. He reached up to cup her bare breast, and her breath hitched in her throat. She yanked his shirt from his jeans to glide her hands back up his back, feeling every lean sinewy muscle underneath his skin flex with her touch, as he returned to kissing her lips once more with savage pleasure. When he rolled his calloused thumb over her hardened nipple, a slight moan escaped from her lips that surprised them both.

Then the mood changed. He froze, and without looking at her directly, he quickly rolled away from her. He muttered a curse under his breath as she looked up at the ceiling, breathless and bewildered. She felt movement on the bed and looked to see him making his way towards the bathroom.

"Go back to your fucking room, fucking manager," he growled before slamming the bathroom door shut behind him.

Mamori sat up on his bed confused and in total disarray. Was Hiruma just kissing her? Was she kissing him? What were they just about to do? She heard the water for the shower go on, and she gasped to herself as she touched her fingers to her lips. The memory his kisses, the memory of his touch, still lingering all over her body with burning intensity.


	2. The Shower 'Hiruma Gets Mindf'ed'

**Title: **Part 2: The Shower (Hiruma Gets Mindfed)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eyeshield 21

She smelled like strawberries, tasted like cream, and that fact haunted Hiruma's thoughts as he stood under the cold blast of water. He pounded his fist against the tiled shower wall. He couldn't get her smell out of his nose or her taste off his lips. He was tired, cranky, but most of all the ghost of how her skin felt underneath his hands lingered. Why did she have to come to his room in the middle of the night? Her mother hen instinct was going to be the death of him. He still couldn't shake the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. As he stood there under the bitter cold water, he closed his eyes tightly trying to mentally wish away what it would have felt like to make her his.

Suddenly the shower curtain opened, and there she was, naked and serene. His eyes widened with shock as he stood there and watched her lean casually over to turn the water from cold to hot. He didn't move as she stepped gingerly into the basin. She stood in front of him, her deep blue eyes gazing up at him with intent. Her hand softly touched his cheek, gently brushing the fine stubble that barely lined his clenched jaw. That was it. He wasn't going to hold himself back this time.

He took her face roughly in his hands and as the hot water poured over their bodies, he consumed her lips as though he was drinking all of her in. He cupped her rear, and lifted her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs tightly around his waist. They spun around and moved to the back of the shower where he pinned her firmly against the wall.

He tore himself away from her mouth to playfully lap up the water that pooled along her collarbone. He moved slowly down from her collarbone to her breast, and began to gently suckle. She moaned low and seductively as she raked her fingers through his long wet head of hair. Her knees rose up to brush underneath his sculpted triceps as the heels of her feet dug into his firm rear end. She arched her body fully against him as he moved to take her other breast into his mouth. He gently nibbled on her swollen hardened nipple. He wanted her. He wanted to be inside her. Then he heard her breathless gasp.

"Youichi,"

He lifted his eyes, expecting to meet with hers, darkened and full of hot lust. Instead he faced the tiles of the shower wall. His body ached from being under the freezing cold water for too long, and his fist was still pressed firmly against the wall, as it had been before she entered the shower. It couldn't have been just a dream. It all seemed too real to him, as he shook his head in disbelief. He turned the shower to hot and began to wash himself up. Had she even come to his room that night? Did he even kiss her?

He rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. As he toweled off, he ran through the mental images again in his mind. He glanced over at the empty shower. Wasn't she just there? Wasn't she just in his arms? Didn't he just hear her call his name? He slung the towel low around his waist, and stepped back into the bedroom, expecting to find her there waiting, but she wasn't. Only Cerberus was sleeping soundly in the corner of the room.

For a moment, he began to question whether it was all just a dream, the exhaustion of the Death March playing tricks on his mind. Then the faint scent of strawberries that was unmistakably hers, wafted up to offend his nostrils. She had been there in the room, but was she there in the shower? He didn't know, and decided not to think about it anymore, as he plopped down on the bed with his towel still wrapped around him.

He closed his eyes and tried to give in to sleep, but it wasn't coming easily. How could he sleep? The ghost of Mamori Anezaki was haunting his thoughts and his dreams. Every time he closed his eyes, a different mental picture of her came to tease him. On the beach when she wore the bikini, on the road when she wore the tube top to stop the car for gas, in his room just now, the shower. He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Cerberus grunted across the room, and Hiruma looked over to see the dog had shifted in his sleep.

"Fucking dog," he muttered, jealous that Cerberus was able to get some sleep while he laid there wide awake, waiting for the mind-fucking to stop.


	3. The Buffet 'Cream Puffs For Breakfast'

**Title: **Part 3: The Buffet (Cream Puffs For Breakfast)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori, Suzuna's perspective with Sena, Monta and the rest of the Devil bats

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eyeshield 21

Suzuna couldn't help but to notice things. It was in her nature to be observant. After all, she had an idiot brother who was completely clueless of the world around him. Someone had to pick up the slack.

"Is something wrong, Mamo-nee?" She had been watching Mamori absently push her scrambled eggs around her plate for the past few minutes, and decided it was time to say something.

"Nothing's wrong. Why would you ask?" Mamori pasted on a nice smile, but the younger girl raised a suspicious eyebrow. She had hardly touched a thing on her sparsely gathered plate of food, and would occasionally sigh as if in deep melancholy thought.

"Well, you're not eating, and it is an all you can eat buffet," Suzuna said.

"I guess I don't really feel that hungry right now," she replied. Suzuna noticed Mamori blush slightly after that. It was only there for an instant before the older girl dug into her plate and shoveled in a fork full of eggs. Looking back up at Suzuna, who still had a suspicious eye on her, she smiled closed mouthed as she chewed then swallowed.

"Mmm. These are good," she said, but Suzuna was not to be fooled. Something was wrong with her new friend, and she was determined to find out, even as the rest of the group began to sit down at the table.

Kurita and Komusubi each had four plates on a tray, separately piled high with bacon, eggs, sausage and pancakes. When the Three Brothers returned the table with their plates and saw the piles that Kurita and Komusubi had created, they issued a challenge, and went back through the line to grab more food. Yukimitsu sat down quietly with a nicely arranged plate of food, and began to eat, just as Taki arrived at the table. Then Suzuna noticed a strange glimmer in Mamori's eyes as she saw what filled one of Taki's plates.

"Cream puffs! Idiot! You can't eat that for breakfast!" she knocked her brother hard in the back of the head, but Mamori snatched the plate from in front of Taki, and began savoring the sweets.

"I must have missed these in the buffet line," she closed her eyes as she bit into one of the fluffy pasteries, and Suzuna thought it was a little weird to see anyone react that way about cream puffs. It was nice though, to see that the gloomy expression that had been there all morning had been erased from Mamori's face by sheer delight.

"Ah ha! Mademoiselle Mamori! You have such excellent taste in food!"

"Quit trying to act French!" Suzuna punched her brother in the shoulder.

"I wonder where Sena-Kun and Monta-Kun are. I hope they are alright," Mamori said as she finished off a cream puff.

"I saw them right before I came to the buffet. They seemed to be taking a ride on the pirate boat out front with Doburoku-sensei," Kurita said cheerily.

"I didn't know that the pirate boat gave rides," Yukimitsu chimed in.

"Neither did I," Mamori replied with a hint of suspicion in her tone. It was suspicious to Suzuna as well, but she figured that she'd file that away to investigate later. The Three Brothers had sat down, and were now eyeing Komusubi as they began shoveling food into their mouths.

"Ah ha! It looks like a competition! I think I'll join!"

"Idiot! You can't eat that much food!"

"Not to worry, my body was blessed by the gods!"

"What does that have to do with it?"

As her brother left the table to go pile a plate high with food, Suzuna watched Mamori finish off another cream puff, and wondered if that was where the older girl's ample chest had come from. She glanced down dejectedly at her own flat chest and sighed. Seeing someone get that much pleasure out of eating a simple cream puff sure didn't make her own breakfast seem that appetizing anymore. As she pushed her plate away, Suzuna thought that maybe cream puffs for breakfast weren't that bad after all.

"Fucking Monkey! Don't pick fucking food up with your fucking feet!"

The Spartan had arrived. Everyone at the table turned to look across the dining room towards Hiruma kicking Monta in the rear, and shouting curses through the buffet line, while Sena cowered behind.

"He sure doesn't look like he had a goodnight's rest," Suzuna said as she carefully observed the tall blonde man.

"Damn, and I thought we were going to get at least one day of vacation," Jumonji said woefully as the rest of the table continued to watch, hoping that outburst was just an isolated incident. But Suzuna's attention had already shifted back to the woman sitting across from her. The color had risen again to Mamori's cheeks, and she had dropped her last cream puff back in the plate half-eaten. A sly smile crept over Suzuna's face. She was going to have to collect more data, but a strong theory was beginning to form in her mind.

"Ah ha! Now that I am fully prepared, let the competition commence!" Taki sat back down with a tray of plates piled high with food, as the Three Brothers glared at him sourly. Suzuna didn't have time to deal with his antics however, because Hiruma was making his way toward the table with Sena and Monta close behind, and Mamori was growing redder by the second.

"Good Morning, Mamori-neechan. Did you sleep well?" Sena asked as he sat down to the table

"Oh yes, I had a restful night," the plastic smile appeared again.

Normally Suzuna would have been irritated that Sena had not asked her if she slept well, but watching what was transpiring between Mamori and Hiruma at the table was just too exciting to miss. First of all, she knew that her roommate's night last night had been anything but restful, because the girl had looked plain dreadful when she woke up this morning. Secondly, when she shot a glance over at the quarterback as he sat down to the table, she saw a slight twitch of his ear, and a barely noticeable grimace of annoyance appeared on his face for a split second before being masked by his normal hellish grin.

"I should have known, fucking manager, if there were cream puffs in this hotel, you would be the one to sniff them out, kekeke," Hiruma cackled, and the rest of the group let out a collective sigh. Seeing Hiruma at his normal demonic self signaled that they might just get that break today they were hoping for. However, it was Mamori who Suzuna paid closer attention to, as the team manager's blue eyes flashed when she glared back at Hiruma.

"Don't call me that, and I didn't find them. Taki-kun did."

"I bet you pounced on the fucking buffet table just to be the first to get to them!"

"I don't pounce!"

"Stuffing your face with cream puffs will only make you fat, like fucking fatty, and fucking fatty junior over there."

"I'll have you know that I do not stuff my face with cream puffs. I actually had a well balanced breakfast this morning, and who asked for your opinion anyway?"

It was like watching a tennis match. Everyone's heads turned between the two people as they went back and forth, shouting across the table about Mamori's attachment to cream puffs. When Mamori suddenly excused herself to go back up to the room, all of their attention focused squarely on Hiruma, who then glared in return.

"What the fuck are you all looking at me for?"

They all looked away and muttered a low "nothing," except for Suzuna who continued to eye Hiruma with just as much suspicion has she had given Mamori before, but Hiruma ignored her, and went about eating his food.

"Hiruma-kun, everyone was hoping we would be able to take in the sights today," Kurita ventured after the table had become rather quiet.

"That's fine with me. Just don't do what these fucking shrimps and the fucking drunkard did, get caught practicing fucking moves on the fucking pirate ship, or I'll find a field and make sure you have a practice from hell."

"I knew you couldn't ride on the pirate ship," Yukimistu said.

"I was hoping to do a little gambling," Jumonji said.

"You can't gamble. It's against the law. You have to be 21," Yukimitsu chimed back in.

"Why don't you say that a little louder, Yukimitsu-senpai," Jumonji grimaced in embarrassment.

"It's okay, I have fake passports for everyone," Hiruma said nonchalantly as everyone turned back to look at him in disbelief.

"Huh?"

"Huuh?"

"Huuuh?"

"What? Did you think we came all this fucking way not to enjoy all the things Las Vegas has to offer?" Hiruma let out another demonic laugh as he continued to eat.

"Did you get me a fake passport too, You-nii?"

"No one would ever believe that you're 21, fucking skates. Maybe the fucking midgets, but not you."

"That's okay. I'll just make sure to stick close to Mamo-nee tonight. I saw the dress she's planning to wear, and I'm sure there will be a ton of guys hanging all over her," and with that, she caught him. It was a slight movement, but just enough for Suzuna to complete her theory. She was the only one at the table who noticed it, because she was looking for it. Everyone else had completely missed it, because he was just that good at covering, but not quick enough to hide it from her. Hiruma had almost choked on a forkful of eggs, and the act made Suzuna smiled with absolute glee. He didn't look at her as he swallowed hard and set down his fork.

"I'll just have to be there to protect her," Suzuna continued, grinning like a Cheshire cat, while Hiruma gulped his coffee.

"How are you going to protect her?" Kuroki said sourly, but Suzuna ignored him. Her mind was occupied with someone else.

"I'll be there to protect Mamori-neechan. Then her heart will belong to me!" Monta pumped a fist in the air. "Protect max!"

"And how do you plan on protecting her?" Kuroki said again, turning his sour look to Monta.

"Ah ha! It will be me who protects Mademoiselle Mamori, with this fine body I have that was blessed by the gods!"

The Three brothers growled at Taki, while Kurita and Yukimitsu tried not to look embarrassed at what was going on.

"P-Protect," Komusubi said.

"Well, I won't let anyone bother Mamori-neechan while I'm around," Sena offered.

"Then we will let this be a part of our friendly competition to see who can win Mamori-neechan's heart!" Monta said as he stood up on the chair, while Sena shrank with embarassment.

"Ah ha! A competition!"

"We won't let you beat us!"

Suzuna was only half listening to the different declarations being passed back and forth across the breakfast table, because indeed her mind was preoccupied with someone else. She was the only one who had noticed that Hiruma had left the table minutes ago, as soon as he had put down his coffee cup. The look on his face had spoke volumes. More than all the declarations of protection the rest of the team had made put together. It was going to be fun watching those two tonight, she thought slyly to herself.


	4. The Pool 'Pocketful of Sunscreen'

**Title:** Part 4: The Pool (Pocketful of Sunscreen)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori, a little Sena and Monta.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eyeshield 21

"Why did you come to my room last night?" Hiruma stood in front of her at arm's length. His hands pressed firmly against the wall on either side of her head. If she could have backed up any further, she would have backed up all the way to Japan. Instead Mamori stood there, trapped in the cage he made with his lean sculpted arms.

"I told you already. I went to check on you," she looked defiantly up into his devilish emerald eyes. It was the only place she felt safe looking without revealing too much. Then again, she was already revealing too much. Even though it was the same bikini and sarong she wore to the beach in Texas, being this close to Hiruma after what happened the night before, made her feel strangely naked.

"Hmm, I think you were there for something else," he leaned in closer, grinning seductively, causing Mamori to regret her decision to look him straight in the eye. She swallowed hard.

"You're mistaken."

"You're blushing."

She quickly broke eye contact with him, and looked down at the floor, clutching her folded beach towel to her chest. After the breakfast incident, she thought it was best she get some fresh air, relax, and purge her mind of the troublesome memory of his kisses. Running into him in the hallway on her way down to the pool was the last thing she expected. He cackled softly at her obvious embarrassment, and she could feel him leaning in closer. Looking up into his eyes again, she found her voice, and willed it to be calm and controlled.

"I'm sorry if my caring nature has offended you. I promise it won't happen again," and with that she ducked underneath his arm, and continued down the hall towards the elevator. Proud of herself for resisting the urge to look back at his face, she smiled as she entered the elevator. He hadn't followed her. Probably too shocked she didn't melt right into his arms then and there and beg him to kiss her, she thought when the elevator doors closed, and she still didn't see him flying around the corner.

The pool was crowded, but Mamori managed to find an empty lounge chair in a nice spot. Doburoku-sensei came floating by, passed out in an innertube with an empty sake gourd between his legs. Mamori thought about waking him up so he could at least wipe the drool from his mouth, but instead decided to let him continue to float by, considering that it was her protective instinct that got her in her current predicament. She sighed as she put on her sunglasses, and took out a bottle of sunscreen. A little relaxation by the pool was exactly what she needed to get back to her old self again.

"Would you like me to get your back for you?" Mamori paused in the middle of rubbing sunscreen on her arms to look up and see a tall gorgeous man with smiling dimples standing over her. She smiled shyly, then handed him the bottle of sunscreen.

"Sure," she almost giggled as she turned her back toward him, allowing him access. Then, a strange shadow appeared that seemed to blot out the sun.

"Kekeke, do you value your life?" His voice was unmistakable. The devil had come to spoil her fun. She slowly turned to find Hiruma standing behind her shaken would be suitor, teeth bared, grinning wildly.

"Hiruma-kun! You have no right to stop people from talking to me!" She stood up angrily, and noticed that Hiruma was pressing a 44 magnum into the guy's back.

"You should thank me, fucking manager. You were about to fall for the oldest trick in the fucking book."

"What do you care if some nice handsome guy wants to come over to get to know me?"

"You are so gullible, fucking manager! There is only one thing this guy wants to know!"

"Look, man. I'm just the pool boy, really," the guy said nervously.

"The pool boy?" Hiruma and Mamori said in unison. The difference was Hiruma was oddly amused at the turn of events, while Mamori was a little annoyed and disappointed.

"Sure, the pool boy, you know. I get you fresh towels, drinks, help out with putting on sunscreen. But I only do that for ladies who look like they are by themselves. Had I known that she had you for a boyfriend…"

"Boyfriend? Oh no, you've got that all wrong! Hiruma is not my…"

"Go get me a coffee then, fucking pool boy. Hot and black." Hiruma waved his gun around laughing as the pool guy jumped while Mamori scowled. "Don't worry, it's not loaded." He continued to cackle as the pool boy sighed, then retreated to get Hiruma his coffee.

"You really are despicable," she frowned as she sat back down on the lounge chair. Hiruma took the empty seat next to her and picked up the bottle of sunscreen. "I'll do that myself, thank you," she grumbled and snatched the sunscreen bottle away from him. To further her annoyance, he laughed hellishly as he watched her try unsuccessfully to spread sunscreen on her back.

"It's not that funny, so quit laughing," she grumbled again. It wasn't enough that he had to disturb her dreams with the visions of him kissing her, or corner her in hotel hallways. No, he just had to come down and follow her to the one place she thought she would be able to find some peace.

"Just sit still and let me do it, fucking manager," he said as picked up the sunscreen again. She paused for a second, then nodded, and allowed him to begin smoothing the sunscreen down her back in long slow strokes. Each stroke sent shivers back up her spine, but she forced herself to be perfectly still against his touch.

"Is that okay?" He said in a low voice close to her ear, as his hands smoothed down her shoulders once he finished off her back.

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you." She shrugged his hands off her shoulders and lay back down on the lounge chair.

"Whatever," he said, as lay back on his lounge chair as well. Looking over and seeing him stretched out on the chair with his hands behind his head, and his eyes closed, she knew he wasn't content enough to leave her alone.

"What did you come down here for? You're obviously not dressed for it." Hiruma was probably the only person she knew who could go around in 120 degree heat dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt.

"I need you to run an errand with me," he said, with his eyes still closed. She turned to look up at the sky.

"What kind of errand?"

"I'm going to sell Doburoku-sensei's truck, and I want to make sure I get a fair price."

Despite being annoyed with him, she actually smiled. So the demon needed her help. "Can't you just use your precious threat notebook for that?"

"Kekeke, my threats don't reach that far across the Pacific," he was amused. She knew that was a lie, but she didn't press him about it.

"I see. So you figure that having me along as eye candy will help you get a fair price."

"If you say so." He smirked as he looked her up and down. She turned gave him a disgusted look in return. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar figure in an innertube float by.

"Fine, I'll do it on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Doburoku-sensei comes along." She smirked as she saw Doburoku grunt in his sleep as he continued to float around.

"Fine," he said easily. Her condition didn't change the amused look on his face.

"Hi, Mamori-neechan!" Sena and Monta waved to her from across the pool, and Mamori smiled broadly as she returned their wave.

"Oh and lets bring Sena-kun and Monta-kun along too," she turned to Hiruma, hoping to see a more annoyed expression, but was disappointed in the fact that he looked even more amused than before.

What she didn't see as she turned around to gather up her things to go back upstairs to change, was the menacing glare he gave the two boys as they walked up to join them.

Omake:

"Hiruma-kun looks pissed max."

"You think maybe we should turn and run the other way?"

"Nah, he wouldn't dare do anything to us while Mamori-neechan is around."

"Then what happens when she's not around?"

"We'll just make sure we stick close to her, then maybe he'll forget about whatever it is he's pissed about, and then we'll be safe."

"There's close to zero chance of that happening."

Sena and Monta swallowed hard as they watched the pool boy sit Hiruma's coffee on the tray next to him. When the pool boy recieved the same glare, he turned and ran the other way, knocking over a guest, and bumping into the lifeguard stand in the process.

"Yeah, zero chance max."


	5. The Strip '120 Degrees in the Shade'

**Title: **Part 5: The Strip (120 Degrees in the Shade)

**Characters: **Hiruma/Mamori

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Eyeshield 21.

Hiruma liked the games. He liked the expressions she made when she was annoyed, when she was angry, when she was embarrassed, and when she secretly longed for him to touch her. The one thing that amused him most was that she actually believed she was in control of this situation. She was smart and resourceful, he had to give her that, but at times she could be pretty clueless of what was going on around her.

It wasn't really necessary for her to go along with him to sell the truck, but when he let her walk away from him in the hotel hallway, he realized that being the one control was important to Mamori. So he let her believe that, because it was much more fun manipulating the situation behind the scenes.

Getting rid of the fucking drunkard was easy. As the group walked from the used car lot to the Strip, Hiruma slipped Doburoku a hundred dollar bill. His old sensei couldn't catch a taxi fast enough, mumbling something about an all nude review going on at midday downtown.

The fucking shrimps actually ditched them. Hiruma could tell they were having flashbacks of the Death March. As they continued to walk along the strip, Sena and Monta kept exchanging pained looks while Mamori happily called out random Las Vegas facts from a tourist guide. By the time they had managed to make it one block and into the World's Largest General Store and Tourist Shop, the fucking shrimps looked like they were about to pass out. As soon as they were sure Mamori was out of eyeshot, Hiruma watched as they ducked out of the store and to the hotel across the street. Presumably to ride the rollercoaster that corkscrewed around and through the hotel.

"Looks like we've been ditched," she said as she joined Hiruma at the counter to ring up her stuff.

"Speak for yourself, fucking manager. _You've_ been ditched. You were the one who said, 'let's walk back to the hotel,'" he mimicked her in a high pitched shrilly voice.

"I don't sound like that," she wrinkled her nose at him and went in her purse to get out her wallet and pay for her trinkets, but Hiruma beat her to it. He paid the cashier for her stuff, a pack of gum and an iced black coffee.

"Thank you."

"Whatever," he said coolly as he collected his change.

They were continuing on their walk down the Strip when she stopped and looked unexpectedly across the street. There was a wedding chapel with a drive thru, and a couple sitting on up on the back of an old style convertible with a minister leaning out the window of the chapel. The couple kissed and then pulled out of the chapel drive way.

"It's a fucking drive-thru wedding!" Hiruma laughed hysterically, as Mamori shot him an annoyed look.

"I think it's romantic. In an odd sort of way," Mamori smiled as the just married couple zoomed past them.

"I think I'll fucking puke if you keep saying things like that, fucking manager."

"Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight? Seeing your true love across a crowded room and knowing that this was the person you were meant to spend the rest of your life with?" She said dreamily as she watched the convertible disappear from sight down the street. Hiruma thought back to the different times he'd clashed with her during their time at Deimon.

"Nope," he said plainly as he sipped his iced coffee. There was no such thing as love at first sight in his mind. If he had fallen in love with her at first sight, he would have missed out on all the fun of getting to know her.

They walked together in a comfortable silence. Mamori had her nose deep in her tourist guide, and Hiruma was content just to watch her. Every so often, she would come to a fun fact that she thought might interest him, and she'd read it aloud, not particularly expecting a response. He nearly choked though, when she told him that the average number of weddings per day in Las Vegas was 315.

"Gosh, it is really hot out today," she said as she dug into her purse, then smiled triumphantly when she found what she was looking for. She pinned her hair up on her head with a butterfly clip. "That's a little better," she said as she fanned herself with her tourist guide, and they continued to walk along. Hiruma downed the rest of his coffee, then popped the lid, and took out a cube of ice.

"Don't flinch," he said calmly as he touched the back of her neck with the ice cube. She sighed, and couldn't help but smile to herself. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the cooling sensation as he rubbed the ice cube around the back of her neck and shoulders in short circles.

"That feels great," she said as she sighed again. Hiruma then slid his arm around her shoulders, and deftly let the last little bit of ice cube slide down her chest into her cleavage. Mamori gasped.

"Oops. Here, let me get that for you," Hiruma tried to reach into her tank top to retrieve the piece of ice, but Mamori pushed his hand away.

"You did that on purpose," she said as he laughed mischievously. She reached her hand into her tank top to fish the piece of ice out. "I think it melted." She glanced back up into his grinning face.

"You want me to do it again?" he watched her as she took a moment to ponder the down side of him slipping an ice cube down her breast in the 120 degree heat.

"Sure, why not." She shrugged as they continued to walk down the Strip. He took out another ice cube, and started to rub it on the back of her exposed neck again. This new game was now, without a doubt, his favorite game in the world. When he could finally get a clear moment he would have to think of a better name than "Ice Cube Tit Slalom".


	6. The Shops 'One Singular Sensation'

**Title: **Part 6: The Shops (One Singular Sensation)

**Characters: **Hiruma/Mamori, Random characters

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Eyeshield 21.

**A/N: **I've edited this one from my original posting on my live journal to comply with rules that you can't have any copyrighted song lyrics. I think it reads better with the lyrics, so if you want to read it with the lyrics you can go to my LJ account.

The irony of the situation was not lost on Hiruma. He knew that art was one of her favorite subjects, even though she was a ridiculously bad artist. Her horrible doodles were an ever present source of entertainment for him, but she never stopped trying to improve. Her knowledge of composition and theory impressed him as they walked through the museum.

They didn't even need to use the listening devices, because Mamori was already familiar with the artists showcased there, and dictated little known facts to him as they observed different paintings. He was familiar with the artists too, but he really just liked to hear her talk. All that artistic knowledge and yet she still received poor marks in art. Hiruma made a mental note to have a discussion with the art teacher once they returned to Japan. They made their way back outside to the Strip just as the dancing fountains were about to go off, and decided to hang around for the show.

"I thought the fountains were beautiful at night, but I never imagined they would be this grand during the daytime," Mamori said as they watched the show. He didn't particularly care to see the show again, because seeing it once last night when they got into to town was enough for him. Hiruma took the opportunity to watch her instead as she marveled over the show. The words to the song that played as the fountains danced started to resonate in his brain.

He popped the bubble he blew with his gum. It had suddenly lost all flavor. He found a trash bin close by, and went to spit out the wad. Looking back at the fountains, he stuffed a piece of gum in his mouth, and began chewing with purpose.

FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

He was going to have that damn song stuck in his head for the rest of the day.

"So what do you want to do next?" she turned to him after the fountain show was over, smiling eyes eagerly awaiting his response.

"I don't know. Let's go shopping." He said with a cheesy sarcastic grin.

"Ooo! That sounds wonderful. There's a huge mall inside the hotel across the street."

FUUUUUUUCK! She missed it. He was openly mocking her and she completely missed it. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was put himself through the torture of going shopping with her. This day was slowly turning into his own personal version of hell, and he had once believed that hell was a fun place.

"Do you think Sena will like these?" They had entered a shop where she spotted some men's gladiator sandals in the window that she just had to have a closer look at. Why was she asking for his opinion? He didn't particularly give a fuck about what Sena might like, although he knew the fucking shrimp would not like those.

"They're perfect," he smiled broadly. He couldn't wait to see Sena's face when she gave them to him.

"I think so too! I'll go and see if they have them in his size," she said as she went off to find a sales girl. He found a trash can and spit out his gum, then popped in a fresh piece. The pack of gum he had bought must have been a bad one, because every stick he chewed seemed to be losing flavor fast. He saw Mamori at the other end of the store browsing through some women's shoes while waiting for the sales girl to come back. As he sat down on a bench in the store, he couldn't help but notice the old couple sitting next to him, and the conversation they were having.

"I told you to get the orthopedics. They have more arch support."

"I don't like the way they rub against my ankles."

"Then get a bigger size."

"Why would I get a bigger size? I already know what size my feet are. They've been the same size for 50 years."

"Because sometimes the orthopedics run small."

"Then why the hell do they put a size on them in the first place?"

"It's more of a guestimate."

"That's why I got the regular ones. You ask for a size you get the size you want. Who ever heard of a guestimate?"

And the old couple's conversation went on and on and on, to the point where Hiruma was just about to pull out his gun, and start firing it in the air when Mamori crossed back over to where he was sitting.

"They don't have his size."

"Bummer." As they headed out the door, the old couple was still bickering, and Hiruma thought about handing the old man his gun just so the poor old guy could end his misery.

They went through another string of shops, and Hiruma noticed that everything she picked up, or asked his opinion about, was for someone else. She never left any of the stores with anything for herself. She hadn't amassed a lot of bags, in fact she had combined most of them into one of her larger shopping bags, but the fact that she hadn't stopped to buy one thing for herself bothered him.

"Why don't you look for something nice to wear tonight," he said as they entered a clothing store.

"I already have something to wear. I thought I might look for something for Suzuna," she said as she browsed through the racks.

"Just try some things on. You might find something you like even more." He tried his best to look completely indifferent against her wary glance, as he blew another bubble.

"You want me to try on some clothes?"

"Sure," he shrugged, then popped his bubble. Mamori smiled, then picked up a dress that had caught her eye.

"What do you think about this?" She held up what he thought was the sexiest little black dress he had ever seen. Plunging neckline, backless and short. Something Suzuna had said earlier came floating to the front of his mind, and Hiruma swallowed another tasteless wad of gum.

"Sure. Whatever," he said coolly, concentrating all of his effort to remain looking indifferent, while his eyes were scanning the place for a suitable alternative. He spotted just the thing hanging on the clearance rack.

"What about this one?" He held up a long floral print dress, with chiffon sleeves, and a high ruffled collar.

"Don't you think that's a little bit old fashioned?" She said as she eyed the dress he held up. Truth be told, he thought it looked like a cross-dressing clown's outfit. But if he had the choice between that and the little black number, he'd rather her look like a cross-dressing clown. He'd get more enjoyment in seeing her look ridiculous than he would watching other men drool over her all night.

"I think I'm going to try this black one on," she said and she went over to the dressing room area.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged as he put the clown horror dress back on the rack, and followed her over to the dressing rooms.

He put in another piece of gum as he sat down in the waiting area next to a middle aged man holding a purse.

"So you're here with your girlfriend?" The middle age man leaned over to him. Hiruma glanced back at him oddly and then blew a bubble. "I'm here with my wife. She takes forever in these stores," the man continued, but Hiruma ignored him.

"Honey, what do you think about this?" The man's wife came out of the dressing room in the same ugly dress he had just showed to Mamori. He sat there in wide eyed shock, because he would have never imagined the dress would look even uglier while actually being worn. He thought he might go blind just looking at it.

"It's fine. Whatever is fine. Can we just hurry up outta here already?" The man gave Hiruma a pained glance as his wife retreated back to the dressing room, tossing an "I'll be done in a second," over her shoulder. Hiruma stood up, crossed over to the dressing room where Mamori was changing, and knocked on the door.

"Fucking manager, I'm going over to the sporting goods store. Wait for me here," he called through the dressing room door.

"But don't you want to see how it looks?"

"Not really," he could already see every curve of her poured into that dress in his mind.

"Wait, I'll go with you," she called out, but he was already headed for the door.

He had absolutely no interest in going to the sporting goods store, because all they would have were hunting rifles, and he had plenty of those back home. But he would have said anything to get out of that store in a hurry. It felt as though he was on sensory overload. Everything was amplified, sounds were louder, colors were too bright, strangers were talking to him, and his gum tasted fucking awful. He stalked along until he found a trash can to spit his gum out in. When he looked up, he found himself standing in front of a jewelry store.

"Fucking manager," he muttered as he entered the store.

They walked back to their hotel in an uncomfortable silence. He figured she was a little pissed off at him for leaving her that way in the clothing store, but he offered her no explanation. He had just come to a hard realization himself, and he wasn't quite prepared to share it with her just yet. They stood on separate sides of the hotel elevator, and just as the doors were about to close, a young couple ran up. Mamori reached out to stop the elevator doors and stepped back to let them step in.

"Thanks," the couple exchanged smiles with Mamori, and the guy reached over to press the button for their floor before putting his arm around the girl and pulling her close. They snuggled together in the middle of the elevator with Mamori and Hiruma on either side. Hiruma ignored them as he blew another bubble. His gum tasted flat again, so he dug into his pocket, and realized he was all out. When he glanced up he noticed that the couple had started kissing.

What had started out as light pecking had turned into full blown tonsil hockey, by the time the couple had reached their floor. He and Mamori did their best to pretend that the scene wasn't taking place right in front of them. He could tell when he glanced over at her that it was harder for her than it was for him as he saw her blush constantly. The doors to the elevator opened, the couple got off, and they were alone once more.

He had been alone with her for almost the entire day. He didn't know the next time when he would be alone with her again once those elevator doors opened and they got off on their floor. With that single thought in his mind, he closed the gap between them by grabbing her by the arm, and pulling her into a long rough kiss. He cradled the back of her head with his free hand as she stood there with her arms to her sides clutching the shopping bags in her hands. The kiss softened as he felt himself returning to some sort of normalcy. The colors were dimmer now, all sounds faded into the background, and as their tongues met he could feel his taste buds being revived.

He released her when they reached their floor and the elevator doors opened again. She blinked as she looked up at him curiously searching his emerald green eyes for reasons he wasn't prepared to give her just yet. He held out a hand to stop the doors from closing back on them and allowed her to step out of the elevator ahead of him.

"Hey," he called out to her and she turned around to see that he was still in the elevator. He reached in his back pocket, and pulled out a long rectangular velvet box, then tossed it at her. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she caught the box just as the elevator doors closed.

Pressing the button for the lobby as he reached into his pocket, and pulled out the empty gum pack, Hiruma smiled to himself. The irony of the situation had been there all along. Probably even before they arrived in America, and maybe even before she had become the team manager. It was just too new for him to analyze right now, especially without any gum, but he at least had to admit it to himself that Mamori Anezaki was the one.


	7. The Black Jack Table 'Mister Magic'

**Title:** Part 7: The Black Jack Table (Mister Magic)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori, Suzuna, Random Characters

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eyeshield 21

The feelings were there. They had been there for a while just beneath the surface of the frustration and irritation he always managed to bring out of her every time they were together. She had become so accomplished in focusing her attention on the negative feelings he was able to draw out, so as not to become too obvious. He was complicated, and enjoyed the strategic combat of wit and intellect. However, for the first time, she was beginning to see past that, and it gave her hope for something more.

The hope that had begun to spring in her heart during their walk down the Strip, had almost died when he left her in the changing room at the clothing store. The unpleasant silence that accompanied them on their walk back to the hotel, was almost too much for Mamori to take after being so close to finally breaking through his tough exterior. When he kissed her, all that changed. The urgency she felt in his lips surprised her at first, but as the kiss softened and their tongues met, she felt hope flutter like butterflies in her stomach.

She rode down in the elevator wearing the red dress she had carefully laid out that morning. As Suzuna happily chatted away next to her, Mamori absently fingered the pearl necklace that Hiruma had given her. That last kiss in the elevator was imprinted on her brain. The thought of seeing him again, and his face when he saw in her dress, wearing the necklace and matching earrings he had given her, made her smile to herself.

"Mamo-nee, what do you think we should play first?" Suzuna jarred her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, I don't know. I have been studying this book I bought on craps. That might be a good place to start." She gave Suzuna a cheerful grin that the girl returned, then dropped her hands to her sides as she waited for the elevator doors to open. Here it was, the moment of truth. How would he react? Would he smile at her? Would he take her hand and lead her off to some quiet corner to give her another kiss, and tell her how lovely she was?

As Mamori stepped off the elevator with Suzuna, the entire team descended upon her to tell her how beautiful she looked. All except the one who's attention she wanted most of all, the team captain. She smiled sweetly, and acknowledged each of their compliments as she glanced over to try to catch the quarterback's eye. Yukimitsu was given the task of dividing up the chips and money between everyone.

Not once did Hiruma look at her as he barked out orders to his troops, and they fanned out across the casino. Not one smile, not one wink, not even a nod of the head to acknowledge that she was there. If it weren't for the appreciative eyes of others she noticed looking her way, she would have thought she'd grown a wart of the middle of her nose since leaving him in the elevator.

She knew that they had a mission to accomplish; win 200,000 dollars to pay off Doburoku-Sensei's debts. She also knew as well as anyone, that when he was in this mode, nothing else mattered except winning. Now she was invisible to him, because her presence was not useful. Mamori bit her lip as she watched Hiruma stride over to the black jack table. It would have been a little bearable if he didn't look as though he stepped right out of an Armani ad, with his shiny black suit and silver collared shirt.

In a word, she was annoyed. Borderlined pissed, but most definitely annoyed. She stood at the craps table eyeing the calm composed blond man sipping coffee at the black jack table across from them. He didn't even glance her way as he placed his bets and looked at his cards. She watched as he carefully stacked up his chips in neat little rows in front of him. Sometimes he would bounce a chip off the table and back onto the stack.

Was she that wrong about the kiss? She mentally compared it to the one the night before in his room. That kiss had been filled with desire, and blind lust. It had threatened to reveal the feelings she had kept so secretly from him for all this time. The kiss in the elevator was different. She felt what he was holding back, and she knew what he wanted to say. Or at least she thought she did.

"Ma'am, it's your turn," the craps dealer pushed the dice towards her.

"Really? Okay," she reluctantly picked up the dice and rolled them across the craps table.

"Seven! Everybody's a winner!" As everyone cheered, the dealer pushed the dice back towards her. She picked up the dice, rolled another seven, and everyone cheered again.

"Mamo-nee! You're doing great!" Suzuna said as people started to gather around. She rolled two more sevens, before rolling a point, rolling her point again, thus ending her turn. The dice were passed to the man standing next to her.

"Excuse me, miss. Would you do me a favor, and blow on these dice?"

"Blow on the dice?" She looked at the man quizzically, and he smiled back at her.

"Sure, for luck," he responded. She glanced over at the black jack table where Hiruma was, hoping to catch his eye, but to no avail.

"Okay," she smiled as she shrugged then leaned over, and blew on the man's dice. He rolled a seven, and everyone cheered, but her attention was drawn again to the black jack table as something began to stew in the pit of her stomach. She watched him turn the cards over and stack his chip piles up. It was like watching a magician, the fluid movement of his hands. She was inexplicably drawn to him and he had yet to look her way.

She watched as the dealer dealt him his two cards. The movement of his hands when he asked for another card was a light tap, barely noticeable, but the dealer caught it 

every time. She saw the dealer smile, and saw the wicked smile he returned. It rankled her that it was a female dealer, and she continued to watch as she saw them engage in conversation. He shuffled his chips, then rolled one of them across his knuckles. The vivid memory of him cupping her breast with that same magic hand, floated into her mind, but the female dealer's loud laugh snapped her rudely back to the present.

"Could you blow on my dice, miss?" Another man asked as he leaned over the table.

"Sure, why not," Mamori obliged. Another round of sevens, and everyone cheered except for her, as her attention went back to the black jack table.

Confusion was now her tormenter, as she wondered what she had done wrong. Then the thought occurred to her, that what she had done wrong was believe that Hiruma had been doing anything but toying with her. He must have gotten the most entertainment out of seeing her succumb to his wicked charm, and he was probably gleefully sharing his tale with the pretty dealer. She went back to fingering the necklace again absently.

Why did he have to give her such a nice gift? Just why on earth did he kiss her then if he was just going to sit there and ignore her all night? She was tempted march right over to the black jack table, knock all of his neatly piled stacks of chips over, and demand an answer. But the reality of the situation was, he'd probably just insult her, or worse yet, pretend she wasn't even there.

So she decided to pretend like he wasn't there, just a few feet away from her happily playing cards. Everyone asked her to blow on their dice before every roll, and she did. Except for when it came to Taki, who believed that he didn't need luck, because god smiled on him. When he crapped out on the first roll, causing everyone to lose their bets, he received the most menacing glares from around the table.

She laughed, she joked, she rolled the dice, and became the belle of the ball. Slowly she began to forget about her troubles and the blond haired man sitting at the black jack table. Slowly she began to enjoy herself. It wasn't too long before more people gathered around to watch her roll. She was doing great, until it came around to Taki's roll, and then she would lose most of her winnings. Unlike many of the others around the table, she didn't want to hurt Taki's feelings by not placing a bet.

"Sweetheart, would you mind blowing on my dice?" A man drawled as he slid one arm around her shoulders.

He was wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses. The smile he wore, and the look in his eyes, reminded her of someone more sinister. It bothered her that he felt so comfortable with being so forward. Everyone had been respectful, up until now, but this man was overstepping his bounds. She reached up to remove his hand from her shoulder.

Of all the moments to finally catch his eye, why did it have to be that one? Her hand was touching the other man's hand around her shoulder, and all she could do was freeze at the look she saw in Hiruma's eyes. It was never her intention to make him angry, but that was what she saw. The anger in his eyes wounded her deeply, and then he looked away. She threw the man's hand off her shoulder disgustedly.

"You could have asked without having to do that," she spat out harshly.

"Whoa, little lady. I'm just trying to be friendly here," the man chuckled, as Mamori turned away to join Doburoku and Yukimitsu, who were standing close by.

The man rolled craps on his first roll, then turned to her, tipped his hat, and smiled as he walked from the table. Taki's roll was next, and he rolled craps as well. Two men came over from the table, dropped to their knees, and begged her to come back to the table to roll again. She smiled at their offer, but declined. It was best to take what winnings they had and move on, before someone really decided to beat Taki up.

She looked once more towards the black jack table, but Hiruma wasn't there anymore. She took some solace in the fact that the pretty dealer had not followed him. She smile outwardly to herself at that, but inside she felt the magic die, and the hope run out.


	8. The Craps Table 'Luck Be A Lady'

**Title:** Part 8: The Craps Table (Luck Be A Lady)

**Characters: **Hiruma/Mamori, Random Characters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Eyeshield 21.

He hadn't seen her come off the elevator. The fucking shrimps had his attention the whole time gabbing away about all the different rollercoasters they rode on. You would have thought they had spent time in Disneyland instead of on the Las Vegas Strip. Monta stopping in mid word, and both midgets walking away as if they were in a trance, caught his attention first.

He was grateful that he hadn't been paying attention to the elevator when he caught a glimpse of Mamori as the team gathered around her. He hadn't expected her to look so stunning, and apparently neither did anyone else. He forced himself to be composed and distant. The task at hand was too important for him to be distracted by his feelings, and a glimpse was all his photographic mind needed.

Her hair was pinned up, exposing a lovely neck that beckoned him to trail kisses down. She was wearing the necklace and earrings he had given her, and the red dress must have been the one Suzuna had mentioned earlier at breakfast. He committed the vision of her to memory as he crossed over to the black jack table.

Contrary to popular belief, card counting is not illegal. Using devices to assist in counting, hiding cards up your sleeve, or under the table is illegal, but card counting just by using your mental capacity is a skill. It's certainly frowned upon in Las Vegas casinos, and they are notoriously aggressive in their tactics in dealing with card counters.

That's why it takes a certain high level of concentration to pull it off. You can't get too greedy too fast, because you have to fool the dealers, the cameras, the pit bosses, the computer sensors at the table, and still keep a good count. He sipped his coffee, stacked his chips, and blocked out everything around him. Others came to sit down; he kept track of their hands, adjusted his counts according to the shuffle, and placed modest bets.

As he played hand after hand of black jack, he heard the cheers rise from the craps table, but paid no attention. Craps was a game that depended largely on luck. One roll of the dice could determine everything, and statistically speaking, it favored the house. Even though he knew it existed, luck was something he just couldn't rely on.

"Wow, that craps table must be on fire tonight."

"It looks like the lady in red over there is the one on fire."

"More like lady luck. I think I'm gonna go over there and get a piece of that action."

Hiruma watched absently as the three men got up, and cross over to the craps table. As the sea of onlookers parted for a second, he stole another glance. Watching her blow on someone's dice for luck had to be the most seductive image he had ever seen. He filed it away in his brain, and focused again on his own game.

The pit boss came up, and whispered something into the dealer's ear. Hiruma prepared himself to flash his phony passport, but as the pit boss walked away the dealer turned to him and smiled.

"So where are you from?"

So this was the game they were going to play. They were on to him fast, and it didn't surprise him, it was Vegas anyway, so he hadn't expected things to go smoothly.

"Japan," he said plainly as he beat the dealer's hand again.

"I've always wanted to go there. I hear it's very beautiful. What city or what part of Japan are you from?" She continued to smile, and this time she actually batted her eyes. Was she trying to flirt? He had to restrain himself from a demonic laugh, because he wasn't intent on scaring anyone. Instead he grinned broadly, baring his teeth.

"Your attempts at conversation are failing miserably, because I can actually walk and chew gum at the same time," He downed the rest of his coffee then popped a stick of gum into his mouth.

"You know that they can always ask you to leave." In spite of his devilish grin, the dealer continued to smile. Vegas casino employees were unshakable. They had to be, because only the best survived, and in order to survive you had to know how to read a player.

"I doubt they will do that right now," Hiruma shuffled his chips then rolled one across his knuckles. "See, I can talk to you, chew gum, and walk my chip across my hand, while I get black jack again." Hiruma grinned as the dealer laughed.

"You should be careful, because I tend to fall for the punk type," the dealer purred as she dealt him another hand.

"Why should I be careful? Go find a punk to fall for." He detested groupies, but knew that this dealer was nothing like that. There was a method to her banter, and her flirtatious conversation was so amusing to him that he decided to play along. At least he it helped him from wanting to look over at the craps table every time he heard a cheer.

"Those dice must be loaded. I've never seen someone with such a lucky streak!" A guy came to sit down at the table next to Hiruma.

"Then why are you here and not over there?" The dealer laughed.

"I'm waiting for it to come back around to the lady in the red dress again. Even though she's blowing on everyone's dice, except for one loser, I win double when she rolls." The guy placed a modest bet. The news from the craps table had invaded Hiruma's bubble and his curiosity was peaked. Yet and still he kept his attention focused on the count.

He didn't need to watch to hear her laugh. The melodic tone of her voice floated up from the craps table to where he sat. It made a picture of her standing there right next to him all the more vivid in his mind. He lost the next five hands on purpose, content to just listen to her laugh, and joke with the crowd. At least she was having fun, and that made him genuinely smile.

"Well, this table is shot, and it looks like the lady's roll is coming up soon," the man took his chips and crossed back over to the craps table. When the crowd parted again, he braced himself to steal another look, but he hadn't been prepared for what he saw.

All the laughter and jokes he heard while he sat there imagining her bright cheery smile, had all been a ruse. There she stood; the picture of sadness, and Hiruma instantly knew it was because of him. He certainly knew it wasn't because of the clumsy fool who had his arm around her. She was the fucking manager, she knew how to handle herself, and he was never worried about that. He had been more worried about how he would handle himself by just being around her.

He had never intended for her to be saddened by his actions, and he believed she above anyone knew what his intentions were. But obviously she didn't, and that made him angry. His anger was at himself because he hadn't been clear, and now she was unhappy. As their eyes met he felt as though those deep pools of sapphire blue were looking straight into what little soul he had.

She had to know that he just wasn't the sentimental type. He wasn't going to fawn all over her and fall at her feet like everyone else did. While he appreciated her beauty just as much as everyone else did, if she was looking for someone to pet her, she was looking at the wrong guy. She was better off with the cowboy, than she was with a devil like him in the first place. Hell, the thought even crossed his mind to whip out his camera phone and take a picture for the threat book.

"So that's your weakness. Lady Luck over there," the dealer smirked.

"I have no weakness," he glared as he quickly gathered his chips into a rack. "And if he asks, you can tell him I said that." Hiruma got up from the table, and walked off to find another, less talkative, black jack dealer. He had a mission to complete after all.


	9. The Pool II 'Eye in the Sky'

**Title: **Part 9: The Pool II (Eye in the Sky)

**Characters: **Hiruma, OC, Mamori, and some random characters. Told from the OC's perspective.

**Disclaimer:** i do not own Eyeshield 21

"So where is the kid now?" A security guard pressed the button on his two way.

"He's at the pool," the voice came back over the speaker.

Mr. Big smiled to himself as he got into his private elevator with hotel security. It had been a long time. He wondered just how the kid would greet him, and he could just hear the slightly sadistic tone ringing in his ear. He hadn't changed since the last time he saw him four years ago, but that had been on the kid's turf, and now they were on his. He owned half the casinos on the Strip and quite a few around the world. He had made some pretty shady deals, and dealt with some shady characters in his time, but this kid actually unnerved a hardened old sophisticated man of his stature.

"I need all of you to keep out of sight while I have a private conversation with the kid," Mr. Big said as he stepped out of the elevator with his security force.

"Sir, I don't really think that's a good idea. We've had reports that the kid is armed." Mr. Big turned around to face his concerned head of security's face with a kind smile.

"I'm not afraid of this kid, but you all should be." He turned, and continued down the hallway towards the pool while security followed behind keeping their distance.

The pool was entirely empty, except for a lanky blond kid with spiky hair, blowing a bubble, and staring into space as he stood near the edge of the water.

"It's been a long time, Youichi," Mr. Big smiled as the kid turned with the same nonchalant manner he had possessed as a middle schooler.

"I was wondering when you would show up," the spiky blond haired kid stood there defiantly with his hands in the pockets of his flashy suit slacks.

A sharp contrast to the well groomed figure Mr. Big presented in his own designer suit and tie. As they sized each other up, Mr. Big noticed that Hiruma had gotten a lot taller and a little bulkier in the four years since he last saw him. He was still a skinny kid, but you could tell he'd been working out and taking it seriously. Did this kid all of the sudden become a man when he wasn't looking?

"If you wanted my attention, I could think of a hundred better ways to get it," Mr. Big said evenly as he crossed over to where Hiruma stood.

"I wasn't looking for your attention."

"Did you really think you could waltz in here, and take me for 200,000 dollars without me noticing?"

"It was a 50 percent probability." Hiruma gave him a maniacal grin.

"The cameras have been on you ever since you pulled in the parking garage."

"You're a busy man; I wouldn't think you would have time to look at security footage."

"That's why I have your picture circulated throughout all my casinos. My staff knows that the moment you set foot in anyone of them, I am to be notified immediately." He really wanted to wipe that sadistic grin off the kid's face, but knew there was only one thing that would do that, and it wasn't time to bring that subject up.

"Kekeke. I'm that popular, fucking godfather?" That characteristic cackle reminded him of the demonic little boy he once knew.

"Indeed you are, fucking godson," he smiled, and thought he saw the kid's eyes soften a little. Was the kid being reminiscent too? "You know you could have asked for the money," he continued.

"Where would be the fun in that?" The kid grinned, and it struck him as ghastly, as the waves from the lighted pool floated across the kid's face. He was just a few inches taller than him now. The last time he had seen him he was looking down to meet his level, not looking up.

"I suppose you're right," he nodded in agreement as he folded his arms across his broad chest, taking a more powered stance.

"So, are you going to turn me in to the authorities?"

"Are you crazy?" He huffed. "The most you would get would be a slap on the wrist. Meanwhile, my casino would get hit with a heavy fine, and my gaming license would be put on probation pending an investigation. I can't afford that kind of bad publicity over 200,000 dollars, but I think you knew all of that already."

"I ran the numbers." The kid's mischievousness knew no end, and that made him laugh just a little at the extra steps he had taken to arm his empire against him.

"I congratulate you on a pretty ballsy move, and we'll call this a truce. I do have some conditions though," he said as he moved closer and put his hand on the kid's shoulder. "One, you don't set foot in a Las Vegas casino again until you're 21."

"I'll think about it," the kid smirked.

"Two, if I catch you counting cards at one of my tables again, I'll have the boys give you real taste of what we do to card counters here in Vegas," he mustered his most menacing voice just to make sure he got his point across.

"I look forward to that, kekeke." Menacing could have been the kid's middle name as evil green eyes sneered straight at him, giving him a very disconcerted feeling.

"You have been working out, haven't you?" Mr. Big squeezed the kid's shoulder as he half chuckled trying to lighten back up the dark mood he had created. A noise caught both their attention as they turned towards to the pool entrance.

"I thought I told you guys to stay the hell back," Mr. Big snapped as he waited for one of his guards to apologetically peer around the corner, but it was a vision in red he saw instead.

"Are you following me around now, fucking manager?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I saw you walk out here after you cashed in your chips, and then I saw the security team follow you. I just…" She was a mixture of nerves and cautiousness as she came forward to join the two men.

"You were fucking worried about me!" The kid laughed hysterically until it looked as though his sides were about to burst, while Mr. Big winked and smiled at the shyly blushing lady in the red dress he had seen so much of on the monitors that night.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Youichi?"

"Fucking manager, this is the fucking godfather. Fucking godfather, this is the fucking manager."

"The name is Frank. How do you do miss…" he grabbed her hand in his and she blushed even harder.

"Anezaki. Mamori Anezaki," she said. As he kissed her hand, he wished he was at least 30 years younger. The light from the pool created a heavenly aura around her as if she were an alabaster goddess. He smiled and held her gaze a little bit longer, almost forgetting the real reason he was there.

"Oh, before I forget, here." Mr. Big released her hand, reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a key case, and handed it to Hiruma.

"What's this?" The kid asked with the first surprised look he had seen on him in…well, he couldn't remember.

"I've comped your group's rooms, and upgraded yours to the penthouse suite. Everything is on me so don't hesitate to charge it to the room."

"You can keep the penthouse suite," the kid said plainly as he held out the key case to give back to him.

"Are you sure? It's got a hot tub on the balcony that seats 6 and has 48 jets."

"That's okay. We're leaving tomorrow."

"I've already taken the liberty of moving your luggage to the new room," he pressed. It was beyond frustrating when his generosity was refused when he was genuinely being generous.

"You mean you moved Cerberus?" There came another surprised look from the kid. Mr. Big cautiously looked up at the clear night's sky to make sure there was no chance of being struck by lightning. It was a known fact that lightning liked to strike around pools.

"Yeah, I had to come down personally to get Cerberus," he laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head remembering his encounter with the dog. Luckily one big dog recognized another big dog instantly. "He nearly bit the hand off one of my employees." The kid laughed again, and Mr. Big forgot to tell him that the employee's therapy bill was going to be expensive. The kid's laugh always made him feel nostalgic for the good old days.

"If you don't take it, I'll take it," the pretty lady chimed in.

"Here, you can have it," the kid shoved the key case at her, and she smiled brightly.

"You really mean that?"

"Yup." The two men watched as the woman jumped up excitedly. She happily babbled about finding her roommate, and making it into a complete princess slumber party room. Both men grinned as they watched the bubbly girl disappear back into the hotel.

"And you told my employee you didn't have any weaknesses," he said as he patted Hiruma on the back.

"She's more like a pain in my ass," the kid smirked.

"Let me call my hotel manager, and have them move your stuff back into your old room." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. "Yes. Nancy, have Mr. Hiruma's things moved back to his old room. Miss Anezaki and Miss Taki will be moving into the suite. No, they'll move their own things. Yes, tell the ladies no need to go up to the suite, he won't be needing their services tonight," he winked, as Hiruma huffed disgustedly.

"Right, the dog," he nodded over to the kid. "Youichi, do you want me to go up and get Cerberus?"

"Leave him there."

"Leave him? With the girls?"

"He actually likes the fucking manager. He'll sit in her lap, and let her pet him, the fucking dog." There was a strange chuckle that came from the kid this time, and he could tell it wasn't the dog that was on the kid's mind.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Nope."

"No, I meant Nancy," he said as he gave the kid a grim look. "She just said your room has already been given to a walk-in."

"What?" Another surprised look from the demon. Mr. Big was tempted to recite the Lord's Prayer, because he was almost certain the world may be about to end.

"Sorry, here," he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out another key.

"You had a spare one?"

"Of course, I planned on you chucking the first one somewhere just to spite me," he smiled and was given a genuine smile in return.

"Tch, fucking godfather."

"You'd better get up there before the girls do," he said as he watched the kid casually walk back toward the hotel. "What should I tell your father when I see him next?" He added expectantly.

"Nothing," the kid tossed over his shoulder as he rounded the corner.

"What's that Nancy? She is?" he chuckled softly into the phone. "No, don't bother changing the names over. Leave everything as it is," he smiled as he ended the call and put it back in his pocket. Little Youichi was growing up, he thought as he walk back toward the hotel. If he had a stone, he'd skip it across the pool.


	10. The Room II 'Water Proof'

**Title:** Part 10: The Room II (Water Proof)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Eyeshield 21.

Mamori gasped in awe when she pushed the open the door to the penthouse suite. The suite had a marble entry way that lead into a large opulent sitting area, complete with a fully stocked bar, large flat screen TV in a state of the entertainment system, and plush furniture. She could hear the busy sounds of the Strip below through the slightly opened balcony door. The hot tub would have to wait until she put her bags down.

Upon entering the bedroom she saw Hiruma's luggage was still there and so was Cerberus. All though the dog was passed out with the piled remains of devoured beef ribs sitting on a silver platter in front of him, she figured that Hiruma might be up there any minute to collect his things. She pondered for a moment having Hiruma arrive to get his stuff and finding her in the hot tub, and thought that waiting until he had come and gone before taking advantage of that amenity might be the best thing.

He had gone back to being his usual indifferent demonic self. She could have been just another one of his team mates down there at the pool. Then again, she actually was one of his team mates, but she thought that just maybe they had progressed to something more. Even though she tried to look for any sign from him all night, Hiruma had remained carefully aloof. Whatever ideas she had about there being a chance for her with him, had been just as elusive as rolling a seven at the craps table for poor Taki.

Kicking off her shoes, and crawling across the king size bed, she grabbed the phone and the room service menu at the same time. She ordered every dessert on the menu along with every appetizer for finger foods. It wasn't going to be a pity party, but a say goodbye to Las Vegas in style celebration for her, and Suzuna. Once her order was placed, she laid back on the bed restlessly. Where was Suzuna? Or better yet, where was Hiruma to pick up his belongings?

She crinkled her nose, as she heard Cerberus snort in his sleep. She wanted to avoid any more unpleasant awkwardness for the rest of the trip, but she really wanted to try out the hot tub. Without another thought about the matter, she quickly changed into her bathing suit. Who cared if he came to retrieve his things while she was in the hot tub relaxing? Hopefully Suzuna would be there by then, and he would be probably just as eager to be away from her company as she would to be rid of him.

She walked into the sitting area where she turned on the flat screen TV, and noticed that the suite was equipped with satellite TV. It took a few minutes for her to figure out how to work the remote, but she actually stumbled upon a big bands and standards digital music station, and decided to leave it there. It was the quintessential Las Vegas background music, helping her to forget one certain demon. Bypassing the liquor at the bar, she poured herself a glass of soda while humming along to the music, then headed out to the balcony. In a graceful carefree gesture, she threw open the balcony doors, and then screamed.

"Shit! What the fuck was that for, fucking manager!?" The blond haired demon had been relaxing on the far side of the hot tub with his head laid back, eyes closed, quietly listening to his iPod, and was startled out of near sleep by the blood curdling yell.

"What are you doing here?" she shrieked.

"I was relaxing. Fuck, the entire fucking Strip just heard that scream. I think you blew out one of my fucking eardrums," he said irritably as he removed his earphones, and wiggled a finger in his ear to try to stop the ringing.

"I thought you didn't want the suite, and how did you get another key in the first place?" She glared at him as she placed her drink in one of the many cup holders on the hot tub.

"Fucking godfather had a spare on him, and they gave away my fucking room."

"Well get it back!" She said sternly, and the sneer she gave the quarterback received an amused look in return.

"Calm the fuck down. I was waiting for you and fucking skates to get here, so I could just take your room," he had actually taken the time to explain himself, which was a first at least. She relaxed a bit as she lowered her tone.

"Suzuna should be here any moment. I left her a note where to meet me." It was a matter of fact and to the point, but his slightly amused stare widened into a devious grin and he sat back with his arms resting across the back of the hot tub.

"So quit bitching, and get in."

"What?" She blinked as she felt her body freeze where it stood, even though the night air in Las Vegas was still at least 90 degrees. The passage of time was felt throughout every nerve ending in her body as she tried to open her mouth a couple of times to let out a snappy rebuff, but nothing came to mind.

"It's fucking obvious that you came out here with a purpose," he was being candid, but it was always hard to tell if there wasn't a double meaning to the words Hiruma spoke. He let out an exasperated sigh, as if sensing the reason for her hesitation.

"The hot tub is big enough for the both of us. You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine." The slight edge she detected in his voice made her feel a little silly. Looking at the hot tub, it was perfectly fine for her to get in, and stay on one side while he stayed on the other, and no one would ever think they were sharing an intimate moment.

"Okay," she said with caution as she bit her lip, and then eased herself into the hot tub. The water was a frothy bubbling paradise, and instantly she felt all tension melt away from her body. Hiruma smirked as he reached for his earphones, but the music playing from inside caught his attention for the moment.

"Is the music coming from inside the suite?"

"Yes, the entertainment center. Isn't it great?" She smiled brightly, proud of herself that she had managed to figure out how to turn the system on, but her smile faded as he let out a loud cackle.

"Kekeke! You actually figured out how to work a remote all by yourself?"

"I'm not that electronically challenged." She sat there on her side of the hot tub, glaring as the demon continued to cackle with absolute glee.

"Admit it. You suck when it comes to computers. You can't even use a calculator properly. It's a fucking miracle you even know how to use a cell phone!"

She didn't know what annoyed her most. If it was his laughter, his insults, all the nonsense he had put her through in the past couple of days, the long grueling trek that was the death march, or the fact that he was now spoiling her dreams of the perfectly cozy no Hiruma filled evening, but she had reached her breaking point. She reared back, and splashed water across the hot tub.

"Fuck! You just splashed water into my fucking eyes," he yelped as his hand quickly flew to rub is eyes in disgust.

"Serves you right you big jerk!" She smirked, with no remorse over his obvious discomfort.

"You really want to play this game with me?" he sneered, but she met his look full on daring him to challenge her.

A splash of water came hurtling towards her, but she covered her eyes in time. Though now her hair was soaked, she huffed as she wiped the dripping tendrils from her face, and positioned herself for another attack.

"Don't even fucking think about it." He growled through clenched teeth as they exchanged heated glares. "You won't win."

"Oh yeah?" She challenged.

"Yeah."

It was an old fashioned standoff worthy of the town that still retained some remnants of its old western past. She had never backed down from his intimidation before, and she wasn't about to now.

She splashed him hard, and he didn't flinch as he splashed her back even harder. Their splash war became increasingly messy, as they not only drenched themselves, but most of the balcony and the entry way. She was holding her own against the long armed blond, and took pleasure in the grim look of irritation that crossed his face. She hadn't noticed that they had drifted closer to the center of the hot tub during their battle, so it was with shock in more ways than one that she found herself dunked under water. She had only a small brief glimpse of flesh through the foamy bubbles, but it was enough to cause her to inhale a large amount of water. She came back up choking, coughing, and sputtering.

"Who told you to drink the water?" he smiled with victory.

"Y-Y-You're naked!" She managed to shriek out through the coughing and hacking.

"It's a hot tub isn't it," he snickered, satisfied that he had won their battle. She took advantage of the moment he took to gloat, and leapt up with her whole body and pushed him completely underwater. While submerged he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, then pushed up, lifting her partly out of the water. She tried hard to pry herself from his grip by bringing up her knees to his stomach and pushing on his shoulders, but he tossed her against the side of the tub and pinned her there with lean fingers encircling her wrists.

They were both panting heavily as she looked up at him. His normally blond spiky hair was now dripping in his face as he leered over her. His eyes soften as his lips came down to meet hers, but his kiss savagely burned with intensity. Hands that were binding her wrists slowly moved up her slim shoulders to cup her face, and then trailed down her breast to hold her waist. She instinctively reached up wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her body closer to him.

He lifted her to straddle his lap as he sat down on the hot tub bench. In a quick second, her bikini top was gone, and he buried his head in her chest while his hands reached down to inside her bikini bottoms to cup her rear. She could feel his hardness growing against her, as he nibbled and teased her breast with his mouth.

"We can't," she uttered breathlessly, forcing herself to push away from him with her hands firmly pressed against his chest.

"Why," he groaned as he grabbed her face, pressing her forehead against his. Nuzzling their noses, he began kissing her again, hard and wet.

"Suzuna…" she tried to get out between feverish kisses, "will be knocking… at the door…any minute."

"Then don't answer it," they shifted positions again as he sat her down on the bench, and hovered over her while he began to lavish attention on her neck.

"That would be rude."

"Who gives a fuck?"

"I do," she said just as there was a knock at the door. He pulled away from her, as they looked into each other's eyes for a moment; hers asking for understanding, his not really giving any.

"Fine," he said crossly as he moved completely away from her to leave the hot tub.

"Room service," a voice came through the door along with another knock. Mamori let out a sigh of relief as she watched Hiruma wrap a towel around his waist with his back turned to her, and then she immediately regretted her decision to stop.

"You ordered room service?" he questioned as he stood in the entry way facing away from her and inside the suite.

"A while ago," she said softly, still hoping that he would turn and give her one of his classic devilish grins to let her know everything was okay. "Where are you going?"

"To open the door, take a shower, and leave," he re-entered the suite and left her to sit alone in the hot tub.

She had given up on there being anything between them, but now she was confused again. She really didn't know what she wanted, but she knew her feelings were real, and could not easily be ignored. As she thought more about the situation, she realized that it was getting late, and Suzuna still hadn't showed. Not that she was worried, but she wondered if the girl would show up at all. Not to mention that she had ordered all of that food. She exited the hot tub hurriedly, forgetting her top floating in the water, but grabbing a towel off the rack, and wrapping it around her.

"Wait! Hiruma!" she shouted, and then promptly slipped in the puddle of water on the marble in the balcony entry way, falling flat on her rear end. Hiruma, standing next to the room service cart, eating an egg roll, let out a loud laugh as he saw the undignified sight.

"That really hurt. It's not funny," she pouted as she propped herself up, and rubbed her sore backside. Finishing off his eggroll, he stopped laughing, and crossed over to her. She expected him to offer a hand to help her up as she looked up at him, but he swiftly bent down, and picked her up in his strong arms.

"Better?" he asked, and she felt herself turning red as she clung to his neck while pressed against his bare chest with no place to hide. She buried her face into his shoulder to hide her embarrassment, but he leaned his head down to nudge her until she looked his way again. When she turned, he kissed her so gently and slow, that she almost forgot to breathe.

She tasted the savory sweetness of his mouth and eggroll as he carried her into the bedroom. Once he laid her down on the bed, their towels were quickly discarded, and they moved under the sheets. His hands and mouth were everywhere, each touch of his searing her bare skin, and each kiss leaving a wet hot trail across her body. Her owns hands roamed freely, feeling every ridge on each hardened muscle as she moaned under the touch of his fingers lightly brushing the moistness between her thighs through the fabric of her bikini bottom.

"Are you okay?" he asked huskily, and she nodded her response, not trusting her voice. "Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Yes," even though it was a ghost of a whisper, it came out stronger than she had expected. She was sure that she wanted him. He rolled away from her for a moment, and she heard the nightstand drawer open and shut. After a brief moment, he returned to her, pulling off her bikini bottoms while deliberately leaving hot opened mouthed kisses down her inner thigh along the way.

She took a moment to appreciate his lithe, sculpted, naked frame as he loomed over her before claiming her lips once more with ardent pleasure. She parted her lips and moaned softly against his mouth as his finger found its way inside her. His kiss grew deep and untamed as she arched her body into him, matching the languid movement of his long digit. While he moved to her neck and gently suckled, she trailed her hands down his slim back to squeeze his rear. His name escaped from her in a breathy tone, and she could feel that he no longer needed, nor wanted to hold himself back. Her breath hitched in her chest the moment he slowly thrusted himself into her. Feeling him hesitate slightly as he watched her cautiously, she pulled him into another kiss, until she felt she had gained enough confidence to match his rhythm. He buried his head into her neck again and she gripped his shoulder just as tightly as she wrapped her slender legs around his waist, both panting heavily due to the quickening of their pace as they rapidly approached their mutual release.

He came seconds after her, as she clung to him, not wanting to let him go, hoping he had no intention of leaving. He answered her by rolling on his back and pulling her close to his chest. Snuggling against those sculpted pecks while letting out a small sigh, she felt safe, and smiled. They lay there comfortably for a moment.

"Shit!" His loud curse startled her out of a near sleep.

"What?" she said as she propped herself up on his chest to look at him.

"My fucking iPod isn't water proof."


	11. The Shower II 'Under My Skin'

**Title:** Part 11: The Shower II (Under My Skin)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21, and I'm so happy about that!

The gentle rays of early morning sunshine still managed to pierce through the closed curtained window. The softest touch of fingertips ghosted themselves up and down her bare back. That was what had disturbed her peaceful slumber. Mamori smiled to herself as she stretched under his touch.

"So you finally decided to wake up, fucking sleeping beauty," Hiruma teased, his fingers still playing on her back.

"It can't be that late in the morning," she sighed, not wanting to fully open her eyes, and give up sleep.

"It's not. It's just 6," his hands left her back, and his weight shifted on the bed. She reluctantly rolled over to see him reaching for the phone. She noticed that he must have been up for a little while, because his laptop was plugged in on the small desk, and he was wearing his slacks from last night.

"Are you hungry," he tossed over his shoulder while dialing the phone.

"A little," she said, really looking at him for the first time that morning. His blond hair made an unruly halo around his head, but his green eyes still retained that devilish glint.

"I'm fucking starved," he smirked then turned his attention to the phone, and began to order for the both of them.

She was starved too, but she wasn't going to admit that to him. Last night had revealed a lot of things to her about herself, and only a few about him. She realized that sex made her both hungry and tired at the same time. Even though it didn't seem to have the same effect on him, he still enjoyed the cycle of sex-napping-eating that they easily fell into last night. She blushed slightly as she replayed the memories in her mind.

She would have never thought she could be that adventurous, but it was like the devil in him brought out the devil in her. The same could be said about the good in her. That was one of the few things she had realized about him. She always knew there was a different side to the quarterback besides guns, violence, and threats, but she never knew that he could be so affectionate, so caring. It bothered her a little, because she found herself waiting for him to switch back into antagonizing her, but that wasn't the most bothersome part. She realized that she enjoyed his antics, because they led to other things.

He hung up the phone and wordlessly crossed over to the desk. She blushed again to herself as she watched him sit down, prop his long legs on the desk, and begin typing.

"When do we leave?" She asked as she sat up. He popped in a stick of gum in his mouth, and began chewing before he answered.

"This afternoon," he was being cagy, as his attention focused squarely on the laptop. She chewed her lip waiting for him to elaborate, but there was only silence. Wasn't he the one who was just grazing her back with his fingertips? She realized she was going to have to get used to these sudden mood changes, and understand their purpose.

Looking down at the floor, she saw his discarded shirt, and remembered how she had worn it around the suite last night, and how it ended up lying on the floor on her side of the bed. She reached down, picked it up, and shrugged it on. It still smelled like him.

"Do you mind if I take a shower first?" she said as she buttoned a couple of the buttons on the shirt, and slid out of bed.

"Nope," he said, still focused on the laptop screen.

Mamori retrieved her toiletries from her luggage, and went into the bathroom. Glancing up in the mirror as she started brushing her teeth, she noticed a small purplish bruise on the side of her lower neck.

"Hiruma!" She finished brushing her teeth, and quickly began to examine the hickey, when he appeared in the mirror behind her, his eyebrow arched quizzically.

"So we're back to using surnames?" He smirked at her in the mirror.

"How am I supposed to explain this away?" she whined, pointing at the offending mark. It was a real good one too. One that could not easily go unnoticed. He had definitely branded her.

"Wear a turtleneck," he shrugged.

"Are you insane? It's summer!"

"Then cover it up with make-up, or whatever you girls use."

"You actually believe that no one will notice a big patch of cover up on my neck, and know what it means?" she said sarcastically as she glared up at him.

"Kekeke, No. I just think it would be fucking hilarious whether they notice or not!" he snickered.

She huffed as she grabbed the bottles of bath gel and shampoo from her bag, then crossed over to the shower, took off the shirt, and stepped in. She heard him snicker again as she shut the shower curtain, and turned on the water.

After letting the hot water run over her body for a few seconds, she quickly shampooed her hair. She could hear the sounds of him brushing his teeth, and thought how strange it was that they had become so comfortable around each other. Even though she knew there was a lot more she needed to know about him, the details didn't seem that important.

Overnight she had fallen into a state of domestic bliss, and a twinge of sadness hit her as she realized that it was coming to an end. What was this _thing_ between them now? Would it continue once they were back home? And how would it continue? These were questions she knew she couldn't ask him outright, because he would never give her a straight forward answer. Then the shower curtain peeled back, and the demon in question was standing before her, with a playful look on his face.

"Am I invited?" he smirked, and stepped in behind her, just as she was soaping up. She ignored his question, but he moved closer to her, nuzzling her neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and in a sly move, took the bath sponge from her hands. She made no protests as he swept long, luxurious strokes down her back, neck, and shoulders. It was surreal how she could anticipate his movements as he came closer to her again, dropping the sponge down her front. She effortlessly caught it, and felt a pang of disappointment as he stepped back away from her again.

She turned to see him soaping his body up and fought to hold back her blush. "Do you want me to wash your hair for you?" she said as she let the water run over her. She wanted to touch him as much as he would let her, because she had just realized once they left the sanctity of this suite, she might not get another chance to touch him like this for a long time.

"Not with that fruity shit of yours," he stepped closer to her under the water. Deftly sidestepping him like an expert running back, she moved behind him, and grabbed the hotel shampoo from its perch in the shower. She squirted a small amount of shampoo into her palm, while he let the water run down over his head. As he stepped back from the water, she stood on her toes, reaching up to lather the soft, long blond locks.

While her fingers worked though the foam, her hardened nipples grazed up and down along his back as she bounced on the balls of her feet to reach the top of his head. He turned around to face her, while her hands lingered around his head. She didn't really know who was reaching for whom, but it didn't matter at that point when their lips met. Her hands linking through his hair; his arms encircling her waist, and pulling her close underneath the water.

Soon her back was against the wall, and he was leaving a burning trail of kisses down her body. Practically kneeling, holding her body in place with a hand on her side, and lifting one of her legs over his shoulder, his mouth moved to her inner thigh. Gasping sharply when his mouth reached her moist folds, she held her breath when his tongue began to plunge inside her. She bit her lip hard, causing her involuntary moans to become whimpers. As his tongue swiftly darted in and out, she found that she could no longer help herself, and began to let her moans flow freely.

Feeling as though she was about to collapse on top of him as her body shuddered in ecstasy, she braced herself with her hand against the tiled wall. After he heard her pleasured wail, he moved back to suck the soft flesh of her inner thigh before letting her leg down from his shoulder.

"Is that a more appropriate place?" he said with a toothy grin, his emerald eyes playfully beaming up at her. All she could do was desperately regulate her own breathing.

"A place to leave your mark?" she managed to breath out as he laughed and stood up. Regaining her composure with a deep exhale, she stepped closer to him. Placing her hands on his chest, then slowly sliding them downward.

"What are you doing," his tone became serious as she bent down, and began stroking him at the same time.

"Isn't it obvious," she looked up at him slyly. "I'm leaving my mark."

"No, I don't want you to do that," he growled as she continued to stroke him, her breath millimeters away from the hardness.

"Why not?" she licked the tip of him, and heard him groan before he pulled her up, kissing her fiercely, and pushing her back against the wall again. Thrusting into her hard and fast, his hands moved from cupping her rear to pinning her hands against the wall as their fingers entwined. Their heads buried into each other's necks, their hot pants searing each other's skin. Holding on to his waist with her legs for added support, she managed to release in unison with him. With a deep contented sigh, he let her hands go, and held her close to him. Lifting his head a little, he chuckled as she rested her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Now you have a matching pair," he said, admiring his handiwork on the other side of her neck.

"That's okay," she smiled as she breathed into his ear. "I've left my mark on you too."


	12. The Hallway 'I Heard A Rumor'

**Title:** Part 12: The Hallway (I Heard A Rumor)

**Characters: **Suzuna, Sena, Monta and the rest of the devil bats. Told from Suzuna's perspective.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eyeshield 21

Suzuna woke up expecting to find her roommate sleeping in the bed next to hers, but smiled when she saw that the bed was undisturbed. It wasn't too much of a leap for her to guess where her roommate had gone, or where she had spent the night, but the idea did strike her as strange. She could have sworn the tension had become really thick between the quarterback and the team manager once they had assembled on the casino floor, and it wasn't the good kind of tension at all.

A slight moment of panic hit her as she began to think that something may have been wrong, and maybe her friend might be missing. She darted out of bed, and began pulling on her clothes from the previous night, when she saw a small piece of paper on the dresser. She hadn't noticed it last night when she came in, because she was a little out of it from all the excitement in the lounge down stairs. Suzuna laughed as she recalled the incident that had landed her, and the rest of the devil bats, including Doburoku-sensei in the security office.

After the three brothers got their clothes out of hock with some of the winnings the Spartan captain gave to them, they managed to buy a bottle of tequila from the sundries shop. The rest of the night was a blur of bad Karaoke from her idiot brother and Yukimitsu, Sena and Monta taking turns puking under one of the lounge tables, the three brothers getting into a wrestling match over the microphone with Komusubi, Kurita trying to break said wrestling match up, and Doburoku-sensei chasing around one of the cocktail waitresses.

Suzuna flipped the piece of paper over and, read the note. Her face contorted into a confused look as she contemplated what the note meant. Mamo-nee was waiting for her in a penthouse suite? Suzuna groaned inwardly, sorry that she hadn't noticed the paper last night when she had gotten back to her room. She crossed over to the phone and dialed the room number on the piece of paper, but when she received no answer, nagging questions came back to mind. Like why hadn't Mamo-nee called to check on her?

After showering, changing and packing her things, she decided that she would go and check on the quarterback under the guise of seeing if her brother had indeed made the team, and when they were leaving. Maybe she could get some insight into what had went wrong between the couple last night, and probably fix things before it was too late. Though Hiruma was hard to read to some people, she prided herself on being the type of person who was able to discern even the smallest of clues into human behavior. Her observation skills were unparalleled, and he wouldn't be able to hide much from her.

Exiting her room, she glanced down the hallway towards Hiruma's room, and saw a man leaving out the door. She gasped so loudly that the man turned to look at her, and then walked off. Creeping down the hallway, she followed the man to the elevator, and made sure he had left before knocking on Hiruma's room door. She crinkled her face in puzzlement when there wasn't an answer at the door, and then she headed toward Sena's room.

"Oh, Hi Suzuna," Sena said groggily as he opened the door rubbing his eyes.

She pushed passed the still half sleeping running back and barged into the room he was sharing with Monta and her brother. "Is You-nii here?" She asked as she looked around.

"Hiruma? Why would Hiruma-senpai be here?" Sena asked as he shut the door behind her.

"Hiruma! Where!?" Monta sat up in bed abruptly in horrified shock. "He's gonna get us! Penalty Max!"

"He's not here, Monta." Sena said calmly. Monta smiled as he sighed, and lay back down in bed. Suzuna hovered over her brother for a moment. He was curled up on the rollaway bed peacefully sucking his thumb as he clutched his pillow.

"What an idiot," she mumbled then kicked the bed remembering his bad drunken version of Frank Sinatra's "My Way".

"You still didn't answer my question. Why would Hiruma-senpai be here?" Sena called from the bathroom where he washed his face and brushed his teeth.

"Well, I just saw a man leave his room, but when I went to knock on the door I didn't get an answer," Suzuna called back.

"I still don't get it. Maybe he just was sleeping, and didn't want to answer the door," Sena said after a moment as he returned from the bathroom.

"Then who was the guy leaving the room?" she pressed. Pondering the situation, she crossed over and sat on Sena's empty bed.

Sena shrugged. "Are you sure you saw a guy leave his room?"

"Of course I'm sure. I'm not an idiot like my brother, you know," she said agitatedly.

"Alright, well why don't we check with the rest of the team and see if they have seen him," Sena stated plainly.

"Okay, but there's something else I need to tell you as well,"

"What's that?"

"Mamo-nee is missing too,"

"Mamori-Neechan is missing!?" Monta sat up in bed again with a fierce look on his face. "If she is in trouble, I will find her! Rescue Max!" Monta continued as he stood up on the bed pointing towards the ceiling. "But first I've got to get rid of this splitting headache." He crumpled back to the bed clutching his head. Suzuna laughed as Sena shook his head in disgust. Taki stirred on his cot as he rolled the other way, but didn't wake up.

After Monta and Sena had both showered and changed while Suzuna waited patiently in the hotel hallway, the investigation squad set off to find out what happened to the quarterback and the team manager. They knocked again on Hiruma's door, and were met with no answer, so they went down the hall to the rest of the team's rooms.

Sena advised Suzuna that it was best not to mention the disappearance of Mamori, until they had concrete evidence that she was indeed missing. He pointed out that Mamori was a very neat person and relied on very little sleep, so she could have easily gotten up before Suzuna, and made her bed to perfection. The reasoning had calmed Monta down, and though Suzuna had other information to convince her otherwise, she went with his logic. She knew it would cause a panic in the team if they all found out that Mamori was missing, and everyone would react much in the same way Monta had. Panicked devil bats would only hamper her investigation.

The three brothers gave them the usual response when they asked them if Hiruma was there, but they seemed lost in thought when they heard the news that a strange man had been seen exiting the room.

"You think maybe someone's got him gagged and hog tied naked in that room?" Jumonji asked. They seemed a little too hopeful at the prospect, Suzuna thought, when Sena gave them a slight shrug.

Continuing their investigation, the next stop was the room occupied by Kurita, Komusubi, and Yukimistu. Hiruma wasn't there either, but Yukimitsu thought it was odd that someone was seen leaving the devil bat captain's room. It really didn't make much sense to him that it was a man either, but Kurita just smiled and said that maybe it was a friend.

When they got to Doburoku-sensei's room, and told him their news, the old man let out a loud laugh, and then shut the door in their faces.

"So what do we do now?" Suzuna huffed with a little irritation that their investigation had not yielded any concrete evidence.

"You think we should tell them that Mamori-neechan is missing too?" Monta offered.

"No, I mean, she could be downstairs at the buffet. We are supposed to leave today." Sena sighed as he scratched his head.

"Well, we do have one last clue," Suzuna remembered she had stuffed Mamori's note in her pocket. She pulled out the piece of paper, and showed it to her partners.

"Why didn't you tell me about this in the first place? She's got to be here," Sena said.

"That's just it. I already called the room number on the paper, I got no answer there either," Suzuna folded her arms as she met their relieved looks. Something still wasn't right about the whole thing.

"That doesn't mean she's not there," Monta said.

"Maybe we should check just in case," Sena offered and they all nodded in agreement.

When the trio got off the elevator, they noticed Cerberus sauntering down the hall toward the penthouse suite door with a newspaper in his mouth. Ducking behind the corner, the three watched as the dog scratched on the door.

"Fucking took you long enough, fucking dog," the familiar voice rang out as the door opened allowing Cerberus to enter, and then shut just as quickly. They looked at each other, jaws dropping in shock before making their way towards the penthouse suite door.

"You knock," Sena said as he and Monta took one large step back once they had arrived at the door.

"You really shouldn't be afraid of You-nii. He's practically harmless," she smiled, and turned her back on the look of disbelief they gave her as she knocked on the door.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Hiruma said as he cracked open the door, peering at the trio, clad in a fluffy hotel terry cloth bathrobe. Sena and Monta shrunk behind Suzuna who smiled brightly.

"We came to see Mamo-nee. She left me this note that she would be here," Suzuna held up the piece of paper, but Hiruma stared at her indifferently.

"She's not here," He said plainly as he blew a bubble.

"Where is she? And why are you here then?" She began her subtle interrogation.

"They gave away my room, so I took the suite. The fucking manager got another suite," he answered easily.

"Why would she do that? Why not just come back to our room?" She volleyed back.

"She was expecting you two to have some fucking girl party last night!" He cackled, throwing her off her guard a bit. "I guess the fucking manager got stood up! What did you guys do last night anyway?"

She looked back at the two behind her who slowly shook their heads "no", meaning that Hiruma was the last person they wanted to know about their wild night in the casino lounge area.

"Well…um…I just didn't notice the note until this morning. It must have fallen on the floor when the room door was opened or shut…" she paused as the room service attendant rolled up with a lavish breakfast tray. Her eyes lit up as her next move came to her.

"Move out of the fucking way, my room service is here," Hiruma said as he opened the door wider to let the attendant through. The trio got a glimpse of the suite behind him, and stood in awe.

"Ooo, can we come in and see the suite?" She squeaked in delight.

"No," his tone was firm, but she pressed on.

"That's a lot of food for one person, mind if we join you?" She smiled sweetly.

"Yes, I mind," he grumbled back, signing for the room service, and letting the attendant go by.

"Say, You-nii, what's that on your neck?" She pointed to a small purplish mark she saw on his neck. Sena and Monta looked puzzled as well as they spied what she was referring to. Hiruma sneered at them all, baring his teeth, and then shut the door hard without another word.

"Suzuna, why'd you have to make him so mad?" Sena whined.

"Now we're gonna get it, and we still don't know where Mamori-neechan is!" Monta began to cry.

Suzuna smiled as the two boys cowered behind her consoling themselves as they walked back down the hall to the elevator. All she needed was a little more proof, and she was determined to get it.

Omake:

"Did you hear all that?" Hiruma growled as Mamori appeared at the bedroom door in a matching bathrobe.

"Do you think she suspects anything?"

"She had the fucking brats with her as witnesses."

"What do we do?"

"Stick to the plan and deny everything."


	13. The Buffet II 'The Most Important Meal'

**Title:** Part 13: The Buffet II (The Most Important Meal)

**Characters:** All of the Devil Bats, told from Suzuna's perspective

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21. Hooray!

"Okay, just so we are all on the same page here, repeat what you just said," Jumonji began. The team, with the exception of Doburoku-sensei and the couple in question, was all gathered around the buffet table listening attentively to Suzuna's evidence.

"Hiruma had a hickey on his neck." Suzuna smiled as she bit into a piece of toast. She had stated her case a couple of times, and was perplexed why they kept hanging up on a few key points.

"There was something there, but we can't be sure it was what Suzuna thinks it is," Sena said as he swirled a forkful of pancakes in syrup before eating it. The poor running back was not ready to give himself over to the idea that his precious Mamori-neechan might be in league with the devil.

"It could have been a bug bite," Monta offered as he and Sena shared a nod. The receiver was holding desperately on to whatever shreds of sanity he had left, because the alternative view was just too much for him to bear.

"Did he get it from the guy who was in his room?" Togano asked, dismissing Sena and Monta's counter as he chewed on a piece of bacon, causing Monta to choke on his orange juice.

"What guy?" Monta sputtered as he turned to Sena who simply shrugged, and continued eating his pancakes.

"He's not in that room anymore. He's in the penthouse." Suzuna said as she finished off her toast.

"With the manager?" Kuroki's eyes became wide with shock.

"Yes," Suzuna smiled brightly. Monta gulped his orange juice.

"No, we don't know that for sure," Sena countered, then took a gulp of milk.

"So where does the guy come in?" Yukimitsu asked tentatively as he continued to eat his breakfast, and listen.

"The guy is in the penthouse with the manager?" Kurita was confused, but decided to venture into the discussion anyway.

"Forget the guy. There is no guy." Suzuna said patiently.

"Ah Ha!" Taki winked, and everyone glared at him in return, except Sena, who just let out a forlorn sigh as he moved on to his eggs.

"But I thought the guy was seen leaving Hiruma's room?" Jumonji began while devouring his ham.

"It's not Hiruma's room anymore, because he's now in the penthouse." Suzuna said plainly as she drank her juice.

"With the manager?" Kuroki's eyes widened again. Kurita blushed at the thought Kuroki had conjured.

"Yes," Suzuna said, hopeful that they were finally catching on.

"No, we don't have any proof of that," Sena objected again as he threw down his fork. Suzuna leaned over to him with a saccharin infused smile. He gave her another hopeless look that let Suzuna know that he was very close to the edge, and just needed that one extra push to finally see her side of things.

"You can deny it all you want, Sena," she began. "But why else would Hiruma have a hickey on his neck?"

"Wait. Stop that. Rewind it back again, because that's where you lose me," Jumonji demanded.

"Hiruma had a hickey on his neck," Suzuna was exasperated, but determined to press on. Again she had been almost there, and again she got smacked back down. What did they not get about the whole thing?

"I won't verify that it was a …what Suzuna said," Sena said nervously as he looked around the table. He looked as though he was expecting the quarterback to be lurking somewhere nearby, and while Suzuna wouldn't put it past the Spartan to show up unexpectedly, she didn't know why Sena was so afraid of him.

"Neither will I," Monta agreed.

"It could have been anything," Sena half chuckled as he looked at his friend.

"Exactly," Monta encouraged. They were utterly hopeless, Suzuna decided as she propped her chin up in the palm of her hands while her elbows rested on the table.

"So a guy gave Hiruma a hickey?" Togano asked, putting down his fork, and picking up his Weekly Jump now that he was finished with his breakfast.

"Where did this guy come from?" Monta asked in frustration as he looked around the table.

"There is no guy. Forget the guy," Suzuna huffed, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face, feeling the argument's tide slowly ebb in the other direction.

"Ah Ha!" Taki winked, and everyone, including Sena, gave him a stony glare.

"But you said he left Hiruma's room, which is now the penthouse," Yukimitsu countered, still trying to understand the situation himself.

"So the guy was in the penthouse with Hiruma?" Jumonji rationalized.

"No, the guy left Hiruma's old room, because Hiruma is now staying in the penthouse," Suzuna looked desperately at Kurita and Komusubi for understanding since both were being annoyingly quiet. If she could just get one of them to see it her way, then everyone else would follow suit.

"With the manager." Kurita stated solemnly as he blushed, and looked away from Suzuna.

"Yes," Suzuna smiled excitedly at Kurita, happy that someone was finally catching on. Winning Kurita over might just be the momentum she needed.

"No, we can't prove that," Sena shook his head in disgust, while Monta pouted beside him. Again the nay-saying twins were on their campaign to protect their perfect ideal picture from being shattered. Suzuna couldn't help but to be a little jealous, because what was she? Chopped liver? More importantly, did they really believe that either of them had an outside chance with Mamori?

"We can, because of the hickey," Suzuna countered sternly.

"That the guy gave him before he left his old room?" Jumonji questioned.

"There is no guy!" Sena and Suzuna shouted frustratedly in unison. Happily surprised that she could see the first visages of Sena coming to terms with the reality of the situation, Suzuna threw her arms around the runningback's neck in a tight hug, ignoring the incredulous looks on the rest of the team's faces.

"Aww, Sena" she began as she released him, and ruffled his hair. Then she turned to face the table again in earnest. "Listen up, everyone. Forget about the guy. Take the guy out of the equation completely, and then what do you have?" She waited expectantly as she saw the wheels turning in their heads and smoke beginning to stream from their ears.

"Hiruma," Jumonji said as he turned wide eyed to Togano.

"In the penthouse," Togano said as he dropped his Weekly Jump back on the table in shock.

"With the manager!" Kuroki yelled. Sena sank in his chair with his head in his hands, while Monta fainted.

"Exactly!" Suzuna said triumphantly.

"Ah Ha! I knew it all along!" Taki winked taking a bite of bacon.

"No you didn't!" The three brothers shouted in unison as the glared at back at Taki.

"Did so," Taki smiled as the three brothers growled. Suzuna looked desperately between her idiot brother and the other three, hoping to avoid a brawl at the table. In the 

end, she decided to make a preemptive strike, and slap Taki on the back of the head herself.

"But you didn't actually see Anezaki-san in the room, did you?" Yukimitsu said pointedly.

"No, but I have the note," Suzuna pleaded, feeling the ground she had gained beginning to slip from under her. Damn Yukimitsu for bringing up such a good point.

"I'm with Sena, still. I think we still need proof." Yukimitsu said, while Suzuna let out another exasperated sigh as everyone began to nod in agreement. Sena helped Monta back up into his chair and filled him in on what he missed, which brought a relieved smile to the receiver's face. Even though she had the note, she still couldn't place Mamori in the room with Hiruma, and couldn't link the hickey to her either. Not one to be counted out too soon, her eyes brightened again as she saw something that sparked her interest.

"Well how about this?" Suzuna pointed to the team manager who could be clearly seen strolling through the casino area rolling her bag beside her with a jean jacket on.

"Why does she have a jacket on?" Yukimitsu pondered.

"Precisely," Suzuna smiled once more. "It's summer. Why would anybody have a jacket on?"

"To hide something," Jumonji peered at the retreating figure of the team manager as she made her way to the front desk.

"Yes!" Suzuna cheered.

"Like candy?" Kuroki offered.

"Or money," Togano agreed.

"No, more like hickeys," Jumonji said, willing to give Suzuna's argument credence.

"How would you hide a hickey with a jacket?" Yukimitsu asked.

"Look at her collar," Jumonji pointed to the sharply upturned collar of the team manager's jacket. Everyone quickly turned to look for themselves while Suzuna's grin became even wider.

"Ohh!" the group of guys said in unison with full realization of what the jacket meant just as Mamori moved out of their eyesight range and deeper into the casino. As Monta fainted again, Sena's crestfallen face fell into his hands, the three brothers stewed, Yukimitsu, Kurita, and Komusubi blushed while methodically trudging through the rest of their breakfast. It was a small win, and very circumstantial, but when it was all stacked up together it proved her theory more right than wrong. Suzuna took her victory in stride. At least she had them thinking. It was after all, true that a well balanced breakfast improved the cognitive functions of the brain.

Omake:

Doburoku-sensei turned a quizzical eye to Hirmuna as they got off the elevator, luggage in hand.

"Hiruma, what's with the turtle neck? It's summer," the old man said as he observed the subtle change in Hiruma's normal black attire.

Hiruma looked at the man indifferently as he popped a bubble, and began chewing his gum again.

"It's a short-sleeved _mock_ turtleneck," the blond said plainly, but behind his eyes he silently told the old man to back off.

"Oh, that's different then." Doburoku-sensei smiled and chuckled to himself.


	14. The Airport 'Never Can Say Goodbye'

**Title:** Part 14: The Airport (Never Can Say Goodbye)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori Sena, Monta, Suzuna, random characters

**Disclaimer:** Eyeshield 21 does not belong to me.

Crowds had never bothered Mamori before, but it felt as though every eye was closely watching her, and anxiety began to manifest itself within her. She knew what she had to do, but it didn't make her feel at ease. "Stick to the plan" meant that she was not to offer up any explanations for her whereabouts the night before. Answer questions with simple answers, yes or no if possible, and do not elaborate. Then there was the "deny everything" part. That was going to be hard for her. She wasn't a very good liar, at least not to _his_ standards.

"I'll carry your bag for you Mamori-neechan," Monta offered, as he peered closely at her. She could tell he was looking at her neck, so she evasively pulled the collar up on her jacket.

"That's not necessary," she smiled at the receiver politely as she refused his assistance. She was lagging behind on purpose, trying to keep a comfortable distance between herself and Hiruma, but there were still a few Devil Bats who were choosing to walk close by her.

"Gosh, it feels so stuffy in the airport," Suzuna said as she skated beside Mamori, fanning herself with her hand. "You still don't feel hot, Mamo-nee?" The girl pressed. It was probably the fourth such slightly veiled attempt at getting Mamori to take off her jacket.

"I feel fine, Suzuna." The girl's tenacity was a little amusing. "Maybe if you stopped skating you wouldn't work up such a sweat," she continued as she smiled into Suzuna's pouty face. It came out a little snippier than she would have liked, but as she saw the girl glare between the receiver and the running back, who just shrugged her off, Mamori came to the conclusion that sometimes nosy people needed to be put in their place.

When they arrived at the line for security screening, her comfortable distance disappeared, and Hiruma was standing right next to her. It would have been so easy to touch him, so easy to have their hands accidentally brush as they reached for bins to place their belongings in, and load them on the conveyor belt. Of course with the eyes of the team focused on them, she made an effort to appear as unaffected as possible, and keep at least a respectable distance.

"Please remove your laptop from the carrying case, and place it in a separate bin," One of the screeners approached Hiruma. The quarterback wasn't too happy as he stepped out of the line to grab another bin, but as the team moved along with their items on the conveyor, Mamori never expected what would happen next.

"Ma'am, I need you to remove your jacket and place it in a bin for the screening," the screener had turned to Mamori just as she was about to go through the metal detector.

"Really?" Mamori was a little surprised. She looked around at the faces of the team who were locked expectantly on her. Hiruma grumpily stepped back into the line with his laptop and case in separate bins on the conveyor.

"Yes, it is part of the screening process," the screener replied.

Was it really that big of a deal? So what? She slept with the demon of Deimon, and she didn't really care what anybody thought about it. Of course that wasn't true, because she did care. She cared that the team might look at her differently. She cared about her reputation as a disciplinary committee officer. She also cared about Sena's feelings as well, and she had ran different scenarios through her mind of how he would react. She already knew that the reality of the situation would crush poor Monta.

Ultimately she felt completely torn, because none of these things, not even the feelings of her friends changed the way she felt about the blond spiky haired quarterback standing next to her. She would wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him right there in front of everybody if she knew that he would let her. Knowing him as much as she did, he would probably be angry if she even attempted such a thing. But the anxiety gripping her now had an altogether different meaning. She could feel the ominous air swirling around her, and the cold tingle down her spine told her that things were suddenly not going according to plan.

Yukimistu, Kurita, Komusubi, and Doburoku-sensei were already ahead of her waiting and watching past the metal detector. Sena, Monta, Taki, Suzuna, and the three brothers, who were now behind Hiruma, leaned to the side to watch her take her jacket off as well. She had hoped that she would be spared this moment, but it looked as though there was no way around it. Slowly she moved to remove the jacket, and could hear the collective sharp intake of breath that the Devil Bats made as they poised themselves to view what was to be revealed.

"Do I need to put this in a separate bin too?" snapped the demonic voice beside her. It was the horrified gasps, and shocked faces she saw around her that alerted her that something was out of the ordinary. She looked down at what he had placed on the conveyor belt, and groaned.

"Sir, please step out of line and come with us," an armed security guard approached Hiruma, who was actually grinning maniacally, waving the 44 Magnum around in the air.

"It's not fucking real!" he cackled, and that's when she caught it. He was calling what amounted to an audible on the field, and he was doing it explicitly for her benefit. He was changing the game plan. For a split second, time froze and the crowd faded into the periphery. Amidst all the commotion, the loud exclamations of other potential passengers, the wide eyed horrified faces of the rest of the team, the armed security guards that now surrounded them, he turned to her and said in a voice that only she could hear.

"Hurry up, and go get on the plane," and after one last reassuring mischievous grin he turned to the waiting security guards who gathered up the bins carrying his belongings, and escorted him off as every eye had their attention fully focused on him.

Mamori took off her jacket revealing the large concealer smudged spots on her neck, and placed the jacket in the bin. She had tried desperately to get the concealer to blend and look natural, but the dark purplish hue of the hickeys was difficult to mask. It would not take a trained eye to notice what she was covering up, which was why she wore the jacket as backup. It didn't really help her cause that she pinned her hair up on top of her head, but she just couldn't bear 

the heat of wearing the jacket with her hair down, and knew that her hair alone would not help in camouflaging the marks on her neck.

She walked through the detector, picked up her jacket on the other end, and put it back on without anyone even looking her way. Everyone watched as Hiruma, surrounded by guards, disappeared behind a door across from the screener's platform. Now all of her anxiety about being found out shifted to worrying if he'd be alright. He'd sacrificed himself to save her embarrassment.

As the team sat down at the gate waiting to board the plane, Mamori looked at her watch, and noted that nearly an hour had passed with still no Hiruma in sight. Sitting in the middle of Monta and Sena, she let out a worried sigh.

"What would make him do such a thing?" Monta said as he picked up her mood.

"This is Hiruma-senpai we are talking about, right?" Sena replied in her place. Monta nodded.

"I just wonder where the rest of his stock pile is," The receiver said as he turned to the running back. The both of them shared a nod as they looked across Mamori at each other. She sighed again, sorry that the Hiruma felt that he had to go to such extremes for her sake. She wasn't used to being the one protected. Not by him anyway.

"Now boarding for Flight 736 to Los Angeles at gate A22," the announcement came over the PA. As the team stood up to file into line to board the plane, Mamori cast another look down the hall to see if Hiruma was anywhere near, but he wasn't.

"What should we do?" Sena asked.

"Go ahead and board the plane. I'm going to stay behind, and wait for Hiruma," Mamori smiled and left the line to go up to the counter to change her ticket. On the outside she was the picture of calm, but on the inside she was a nervous wreck. What was she going to do? How was she going to help him? The only thing she could think of doing was to wait for him. She would not want someone to leave her behind if she was in trouble, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was in trouble.

She changed her ticket to the next flight connecting to Japan which was in five hours. She figured that was more than enough time to find out what was wrong, when or if Hiruma would be allowed to board a plane and return home. Doburoku-sensei offered to stay behind, since he was more familiar with America, but she insisted. She wanted to be the one waiting, and she didn't care how obvious it made her look.

As the team boarded the plane, she waved goodbye to them. Feeling the sweat beading on her brow, and the anxiety reaching an all time high in the pit of her stomach, she crossed over to the ladies room to splash some cold water on her face. It made her feel a tad better as she blotted her face dry. She looked at herself in the mirror, and then the thought occurred to her. She didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. It wasn't like they were supposed to say goodbye, but that was what was really bothering her the most.

Waiting here, or waiting at home didn't make any difference to her, and sure Doburoku-sensei was probably more suited to the task of helping Hiruma if he needed it, but he changed the plan. They were supposed to go home together, and pretend as though nothing happened in front of the team. Now everything had changed, he was unreachable, and all she could think about was the fact that she never got the chance to say goodbye.

Omake:

Hiruma had just barely made it to the gate before the door had been shut on the plane. As he stowed his carry on, and took his seat next to Doburoku, he noticed that the team was all looking at him very curiously.

"What?" he said indifferently chewing his gum ,and blowing a bubble, expecting them to ask him questions on how he had escaped from Homeland Security.

"Where's Mamori-neechan?" Sena said quietly. Hiruma gave the boy an odd look then turned to see the seat behind him was unoccupied.

"Fucking hell! Why can't she ever do as she's fucking told?!"


	15. The Airport II 'Waiting for You'

**Title:** Part 15: The Airport II (Waiting For You)

**Characters:** Hiruma/Mamori, The rest of the devil bats

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21. Hooray!

"Fuck," Hiruma hissed as the plane began to taxi towards the runway, and the flight attendants began their obligatory spiel. To say he was pissed was putting it mildly. They had important work to do when they returned home, and he didn't have time to play around. The fall tournament was about to begin, and now he had to make a return trip back to Las Vegas to get the manager.

"Didn't you see her at the gate before you boarded?" Sena said as he leaned over Monta. Both boys looked at the quarterback with questioning eyes, but sank in their seats when he gave them a menacing glare.

"Do you think if I fucking saw her at the gate we'd be having this fucking conversation?" He growled with his sharp teeth tightly clenched.

It was time to stop the madness, and bring some order to the chaos that was erupting around his team. It didn't take much of a leap for him to guess what the root cause of all this foolishness was. As the flight attendants sat down, and the plane began it's take off, Hiruma clenched his teeth and fumed.

The manager wouldn't be acting irrationally, if she wasn't worried about him, and she wouldn't be worried about him, if she didn't see him carted off by armed airport security. He wouldn't have been carted off by armed airport security, if he hadn't seen the sheer look of distress in her eyes at the screener platform, and she wouldn't have been distressed if she wasn't afraid of anyone knowing what they did the night before. She wouldn't be afraid of anyone knowing what they did the night before, if it wasn't for one gossipy nosy little girl who was now going to know why people ran in terror, and shrank with fear when he pulled out a certain black notebook.

The Devil Bats kept a close watch on their captain's face as the plane lifted in the air. They were surprised he made no move to turn the plane around, and go back to retrieve their manager. But as the look on his face became quietly more horrifying, they began to sweat in their seats as they wondered what he just might do.

As soon as the seat belt sign went off, he was up and out of his seat. They probably thought he was going to the bathroom when he disappeared behind them, but there was a purpose to him getting up and walking the other way. The plane was set up to seat two on each side, and three in the middle. He had arranged the tickets so that Yukimitsu, Kurita, and Komusubi, sat in the three seats in front of Sena, Monta, and Cerberus. The three brothers were in the three behind Sena, and Mamori was to sit with Suzuna behind Hiruma and Doburoku with Taki behind them.

But since there was no Mamori on the flight, Cerberus was sitting in Suzuna's seat and Suzuna was sitting on the other side of Sena on the opposite aisle from Hiruma. He wanted to make his message clear, and when he dropped down to his knees unexpectedly next to Suzuna's seat, he saw the impact of this action on the faces of Sena and Monta.

"Did you guys ever find out what room the fucking manager stayed in last night?" He asked with the most horrifying grin displaying his gleaming serrated teeth.

"Why would you ask us such a thing, You-nii? Of course we know she was with y…" The wide eyed Suzuna was cut off with a firm hand around her mouth.

"We didn't find out a thing," Sena said steadily as he held Suzuna in place, while Monta gulped beside him. He had spotted Hiruma's hand clutching the threat notebook, and knew that no good would come of letting Suzuna finish her sentence. The three brothers stood up from their seats to view what was going on, just as Yukimistu, Kurita, and Komusubi turned around in theirs.

"Oh well." Hiruma continued to grin hellishly, sitting on his haunches next to Suzuna, creating the perfect picture of a demon. "I actually found out what you guys did last night," he brought out the threat notebook anyway to the resounding gasps from his team. "I've got some really great pictures here. Most of them are of the fucking brothers running around in their underwear," he said as he flipped it open to a couple of pages.

"Hiruma, we swear we don't know anything about anything," Jumonji begged as he nodded to Togano and Kuroki, all three of them knowing that they were still on the hook for the other negatives that they didn't find.

"It was all Suzuna," Togano pointed at the little girl, ready to lay blame.

"Yeah," Kuroki and Jumonji followed suit.

"I have some interesting video of drunken karaoke, vomiting under tables…" Hiruma began to list the offenses recorded the night before.

"Please don't tell my mother," Yukimitsu was visibly shaken, and looked as though he were about to pass out.

"I also have a drunken love confession made to a passed out team member underneath a table," Hiruma said, and saw Suzuna gasp behind Sena's hand that still covered her mouth while everyone else squirmed. Kurita and Komusubi were both nervously biting their nails.

"I think everyone was passed out underneath one of the tables at one point in the evening," Jumonji pondered.

"Then who made the confession and to whom?" Yukimitsu offered while everyone shrugged.

Hiruma snapped the threat notebook closed. "I think everyone understands where I'm going with this, but let me make myself perfectly clear so no one misunderstands my intentions," his face took on a more serious glare as he looked around to make sure he had everyone's full attention before continuing. "It ends now. All investigations, all speculations, and all assumptions, am I clearly understood?"

"Y-yes, Hiruma-senpai," Sena said shakily, but he wasn't the only one sweating as the rest of the team gave a solemn nod.

"Understood Max," Monta supported, but Hiruma leaned closer to Suzuna, not satisfied with the collective response.

"I haven't heard from Suzuna yet," he said, and then slowly Sena removed his hand from the girl's mouth to let her speak.

"Honestly, You-nii," she began sweetly as she smiled. "You wouldn't dream of crushing the spirits of an innocent little girl like…"

"Sena shut her up!" Jumonji ordered, prompting Sena to cover Suzuna's mouth again, while Hiruma raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Suzuna, please, just nod your head that you agree," Sena said as he even went as far as to place his free hand on top of her head, and force her to nod while she mumbled into his other hand. Suzuna then sighed and began nodding on her own, realizing she had been completely bested, because Hiruma knew that the whole point of her confessing to the running back while he was passed out under the table was that she didn't want him to remember the exchange in the first place.

"Good," Hiruma said as he gave what could only be categorized as the scariest smile, and stood up to return to his seat. "Try to get some sleep on the flight, because practices from hell are about to begin." He tossed over his shoulder as the rest of the team let out a collective sigh, and Sena released Suzuna.

When Hiruma passed them on the other side to sit back in his seat, Jumonji stood up and asked about Taki, who had been sitting in his seat the whole time quietly listening to music.

"He's a fucking idiot." was the demon's response as he popped a stick of gum in his mouth. Jumonji took no objection to that and sat back down.

"So, you've got a girlfriend now?" Doburoku leaned next to Hiruma and whispered, but Hiruma simply ignored the question.

The plane touched down in Los Angeles, and Hiruma saw that everyone one made it on the connecting flight to Japan, before booking the next flight to Las Vegas. Now that the situation was cleared up with the team, his irritation focused squarely on the manager. It really served her right to be sitting there all alone worrying about him, because if she'd simply done as he told her and boarded the plane, he wouldn't be making this return trip back to an airport and city that really had no desire to see him again anytime soon.

It had taken nearly forty-five minutes for the security personnel just to get him the interpreter he had asked for, and then, another fifteen for them to give him a phone and allow him to make a call. It only took thirty seconds after that call for them to release him with not even the slightest reprimand, and a signed apology. It did help matters that the gun was a hard plastic resin water pistol, and only looked remarkably like the real thing. One of the guards even asked for the name of the store Hiruma bought it from so he could pick up one for his son.

By the time he had arrived back in Las Vegas, and disembarked the plane, he had been ready to completely bite her head off for doing such a stupid thing, and forcing him to come all the way back here to get her. But as he approached the gate where she was patiently waiting, and he saw the look on her face, the only thing he could think about was how much he just wanted to kiss her. He was also thinking how relieved he was that she was okay, and clearly she was thinking the same thing when she turned to see him walking up. Mamori rushed over to him, jumping up, and wrapping her arms around his neck in the tightest embrace. He easily caught her weight as he wrapped his arms around her, gave her a gentle squeeze before letting her down, and lowering a stern gaze.

"You should have got on the fucking plane," He grumbled, but she simply smiled as she snuggled into his arm.

"I know. They told me you had been released in time to make your flight, but by the time I got back to the gate the plane was already gone," she replied as they began to walk through the terminal. Hiruma took out a cell phone, and started to dial a familiar number.

"Fucking godfather, I need to make a slight change to our arrangement…No, I don't need to you load anymore weapons on the plane." Mamori gave him a quizzical glare as he mentioned his arsenal, but he ignored her, and continued his conversation. "I'm going to need to borrow it after all…yes, my fucking girlfriend changed her ticket by mistake…I don't really feel like waiting around here for the next connecting flight, and I hate flying fucking commercial anyway...Is it gassed and ready right now?...Good," he noticed she was no longer beside him as he finished his conversation.

"What?" he shrugged as he turned around to see her looking at him sheepishly. "The fucking godfather is going to loan me his private jet. He was already going to send it over with my weapons stash, so it's not a big issue," he explained as he approached her again.

"That wasn't it," she began as she smiled. "You called me your girlfriend, and I don't recall ever being asked."

He raised a mocking eyebrow as they stood there for a moment. Of course he didn't feel he needed to ask her, and she showed him that she didn't need to be asked when she took his hand, and said "I accept any way."

As they started to walk off again, she turned to him excitedly. "I've never been on a private plane before."

"You'll like this one. It has a bed!" Hiruma grinned mischievously as Mamori punched him in the shoulder.


End file.
